Alternate Start (ARCHIVE)

Chapter Twenty Two: Revelation

After a couple of days avoiding his men, Kaar hazarded a trip into the hangar. He found his men painting their helmets. They all had heard about his panic attack. All of them stared at him, tension flickering through the air.

He chuckles, taking his usual seat on a crate. "At ease men I... I'm alright. I promise." He twirled his stylus in his hand and set to work on a drawing on his datapad. He was careful with each detail of this drawing, wether it be a simple sweep of the hair or shine in the eyes. The contrasts of the hair dyes and tattoos always looked nice to him.

He shaped lines and faces, all similar and almost the same. He couldn't help a smile as he detailed the braid his master wore, as well as the one she held in her hand. Her hair was a ombré 501st blue. Master Rei hung off her shoulder, grinning widely as she too held her newly cut padawan braid. Kaar's master, Master Wrek, had been one of the youngest, older only to Master Veryr and Master Tarvil.

It was an odd thing, to be older than one's masters, but he relished the opportunity to nudge his master and her cousins in the right direction. He had hopes that the Jedi council would allow him to put them through ARC training, as they had before.

His mind drifted to ARC training as he worked.

Master Bralor Fett had beat him into the mat multiple times. Had done the same to all of them during hand to hand training. Master Tal Rei had been kinder with stealth training, but had still been ruthless. Master Kote Veryr was also quite unforgiving with signs, and would call out Paladins who signed something incorrectly.

Training had been unforgiving, but it saved his life on many occasions. He'd never been good at the emotional control part, despite his master's teachings. He could keep himself from going into a frenzy, but he'd eventually say something he'd regret the longer he tried to contain emotions.

Master Fett always had been a bit of a bastard, when Kaar thought about it. But he was a good man.

He shook his head and focused. They'd never been too distinctive other than colors and shades when they wore their padawan dress, save for racial variation. Master Tarvil had been one quarter Maltiran, and had small glowing horns hidden in his hair.

Kummar had contacted him again, and he was mostly trying to distract himself with thoughts of a nonexistent future. It wasn't working very well.

His eyes caught on Dagger and a nat-born officer behind a crate. He couldn't tell who it was, given the influx of Kaleesh officers who had been drawn in by the attractiveness of the troopers. He chuckled to himself and rolled his eyes, deciding to let the man have his fun. Kaar was the unlucky sort to always discover trysts between officers and his troopers. Usually in closets for whatever reason.

It wasn't like he could fault them. He had caught himself staring at Droidbait on multiple occasions, usually involving that damned sweater. Somehow, maybe even without knowing it, the Lieutenant had carved a space for himself in his general's heart. Seeing him proudly wearing a piece of Kaar's culture which he had rightfully won wasn't helping Kaar's pining much.

It was, of course, complicated by their positions. It wouldn't be particularly appropriate for a superior officer to court one of his own men. It could even be seen as an abuse of power, since the clones always readily take orders, some even to the point of hurting themselves by accident. He'd heard about it, read about it in the Hevy Town archives.

Umbara was fast approaching, and Kaar knew it. He just hoped that Dogma wouldn't make the same decisions twice. With what he had planned, for while his boys were on Umbara. While Krayt and Purgill squadrons were on Umbara, Kaar should just be getting back from a battle with Death Watch.

Somewhere in his mind, Kaar knew that, still yet to come, shit hadn't truly hit the fan. Maul was out there, planning revenge.

Wait, what was he thinking about before?

Kaar snapped back to reality as he lost his train of thought.

He watched Senaar and Shev'la, two members of Purgill Squadron, sitting on the floor. Shev'la, ever quiet, scratched behind the antenna of the pet he had gotten as a shiny. Kaar hadn't been against him keeping the carrier butterfly, and it turned out larger than expected. It hadn't grown much larger than a medium sized tooka. Kaar had seen Shev's tattoos glow in the dark, and it was fascinating to him. He'd heard of Kaleesh using certain ingredients to make their tattoos glow in the dark, but he's never seen it.

Kaar set his datapad down, tail swishing. His gaze flicked back to Droidbait, who was currently getting his face smeared with blue paint by Fives and Hevy. Their laughter echoed through the hangar, above the chatter of their brothers.

As Kaar watched another group start painting, it made him feel better, watching the unsullied white plastoid be marked with personality and individuality, a stark contrast to the feelings he associated with the white plastoid. It was too... stormtrooper like for his still fresh wounds, despite it having been 20 years since the Empire was really a threat in his time. That pale armor still haunted his dreams.

It felt good to see it smoothed over with dark blue paint. His apprehensions slipped from his mind.

For now, he wouldn't think of battles to come. He would only think of his men, and the brotherhood between them. He would concentrate on the buzzing bonds he felt, hearing his padawan's laughter join the cacophony as Tup started making jokes. Dogma looked relaxed, like the rest of Krayt squadron. Mirror and Rorrim had decided to make their armor mirror the others. Rorrim had come in with Dogma and Tup, his number  was the reverse of Mirror's and particular birthmark was exactly like Mirror, who had been unnamed and there since the beginning. Now, the pair were practically joined at the hip.

Kaar made a promise to himself.

That he'd see as many clones as possible make it to the end of the war.

•—END OF CHAPTER—•

So if anyone is curious

Krayt Squadron:
Lead: Droidbait
2nd In Command: Mirror
Others:
-Echo
-Fives
-Hevy
-Cutup
-Tup
-Dogma
-Rorrim

Purgill Squadron:
Lead: Senaar
2nd In Command: Shev'la
Others:
Unnamed Clone
Unnamed Clone
Unnamed Clone
Unnamed Clone
Ladybird
Unnamed Clone
Unnamed Clone