Betrayal (Star Wars Fanfiction)

Foreboding

Time passed by too fast for everyone's liking.

Three days until ultimatum deadline

When the clones said they'd be working on setting up patrols immediately, they really meant immediately. In little under a day after Ponds' determined announcement, all the commanders had put together a routine when each battalion would guard what part of the temple, when shifts would change and when those who weren't on duty could go and visit the Jedi who could only watch in disbelief.

With the steady presence of thousands of clone troopers close to them, many knights and masters finally took a moment to actually breathe whereas their padawans were too often overjoyed to see their friends again after weeks of no contact. The Force still felt heavy, of course and no one had been ignorant enough to believe that everything would be fine from here on now. Exhaustion and tiredness still clung to everyone who'd seen far more battlefields than they should've in their lifetimes, once vibrant eye colors were still dull and many of those who'd carried large parts of the entire war effort weren't often seen leaving their quarters unless absolutely necessary.

Aayla Secura though wasn't one of those who laid in bed or meditated for hours. Restlessness had followed her around for weeks now and nothing she'd done had helped her. But when she'd stepped out of the calm halls of the temple and out into the cold breeze of Coruscant, a certain sense of serenity and a feeling of belonging had washed over her so quickly that she wasn't sure if she'd imagined all those sleepless nights and cruel nightmares.

Behind her, the auras of thousands of Jedi steadied her as she walked towards those who had given her that momentary safety back.

No matter what they'd decided to do with their armor, if they'd added some tattoos or dyed their hair a different color, the bright yellow color of her troops, her 327th Sky Corps was one she would always recognize out of a million different shades if needed. This particular color that had stuck with her through the most terrible things one could imagine, was also the one which kept turning up in her sleep when her nightmares turned just that side of bad and chased them away. Even if they always returned in the end, made her flinch and more tired than she ever thought she could be, the yellow flashes reminded her of pure, untainted sunlight. It was enough to get a few hours of rest at least and Aayla didn't need to ask for more than that.

"Bly!"

The trooper in question turned around just in time to automatically put his arms around her as she flung herself at him and hugged him as tightly as possible.

Nevermind the Jedi Code, she thought, after everything, we deserve this much at least.

Smiling as she felt him shudder when she nuzzled his neck, Aayla took a deep breath before disentangling herself while staying close to him. The faces of the men surrounding her gave away that they were trying very hard to stop the catcalls and knowing grins from escaping, but nothing caught her attention more than Bly rubbing his neck with a hint of a blush on his cheeks while giving her an honest smile: "It's good to see you, General."

"None of that now," Aayla said, "I'm not your General any more than you're a GAR commander. The war is over...finally." She chuckled. "I'm just Aayla now."

"I think I'll miss fighting by your side," Danch spoke up whose hair had been dyed a dark shade of blond. "Not the war, mind you. Just...the camaraderie."

"We don't have to lose that," the Twi'lek shook her head. "I haven't fought with you for three years just so we can go back to formalities. Whether the Senate will like that remains to be seen, but I'm not about to let myself be forced to treat you like just another soldier."