A Star Wars Story: Not Our Time: Shadow Corps the Green Squad

Chapter 5

             Evadne downed another cup of caff, scribbling down a note on her data pad. It was technically her free time, but she couldn't bring herself to relax, not until she learned how to be a better Commander to the men in the newly formed Shadow Corps.
               A knock on her door startled her. "Commander?" It was Sparrow. "May I come in?"
               "Yes, Captain, come in," Evadne replied, waving her hand to unlock the door.
               It wooshed open and Sparrow stepped in with his helmet under his arm. His freshly painted armor shone brightly in the light. 
              He glanced past Evadne at the books and papers strewn across her desk. A small smile formed on his lips. "I see you're brushing up on those battle plans I told you about."
              Evadne stretched and yawned. "Yeah, all this battle stuff is a little confusing, not going to lie."
               "It comes easier with practice," Sparrow shrugged, "I'm glad to see you're putting effort in trying to understand. But, you're also remembering to finish that other paperwork you had, right?" Sparrow raised an eyebrow, looking over her desk again.
              Evadne looked at the large stack of papers that was neatly sitting where it had been first placed and promptly forgotten. "I was going to do that just before you came in actually!" she exclaimed.
              Sparrow put a hand on his hip and gave Evadne a knowing look. "I doubt that," he sighed "Anyways, do you remember those squads that we were discussing implementing into the corps?"
             That got Evadne's attention. "Yeah... does the new addition of green on your armor have anything to do with it?"
             Sparrow grinned, glancing down at his armor and nodded. "Follow me, Commander, I have to show you something," he said, gesturing for her to follow.
              Evadne jumped out of her seat and started down the halls of the venator side by side with Sparrow. She glanced up at the Captain. His curly brown hair was messier and his beard was longer than usual. He looked tired. She probably looked just as bad. Unfortunately, she was starting to get used to feeling like this all the time.
            The last few months had been tough. Going from planet to planet. Battlefront to battlefront. Seeing troves of troops massacred. But, one thing stayed persistent during all the chaos. And that was Sparrow.
           Evadne and Sparrow had gotten close quickly. She trusted him. And he trusted her. Evadne doubted why he trusted her, who beforehand, had no experience with war. And who often made a fool of herself with her amature decisions. 
         Thankfully, Sparrow was kind enough to help Evadne fit into the shoes of leadership. He showed her all the inside outs of the military, and answered any questions Evadne had. He would step in when things were out of her league, which Evadne was quite thankful for at times.
       But, Evadne was determined to prove that she could be a leader. It was a reason why she was so excited to get her own squad. That, and she wanted to get closer to her men. And this squad could be the starting point.
         Evadne had gotten to meet quite a few clones the past few months. She was intrigued with them. The sense of community they had with each other was nothing like she'd seen before. She admired their brotherhood.
        Witnessing it made her aware of a strange tugging at her heart. The emptiness that she usually ignored was slowly growing. She didn't understand these feelings, so maybe, getting closer to her men could help in some way.
         They turned a corner. Evadne recognized where they were going. The hangar.
         "Deep in thought again, Commander?" Sparrow asked, "You've been quite quiet for a while."
         "Hmm? Oh, yes... I'm sorry, I get lost in my head sometimes," Evadne tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, cheeks flushed.
         "It's alright, ma'am. You're a Jedi. And you Jedi seem to naturally be thinking all the time," Sparrow stated.
         Evadne stayed quiet as they approached a door. It led directly to the hangar. Her stomach somersaulted. From excitement or nervousness? She couldn't tell. But she found herself waiting with baited breath as they came closer.
         Sparrow went ahead and, with a push of a button, the door slid open. He stood to the side to let Evadne through. "ATTENTION!" Sparrow's voice rang out.
          The sound of armor clanking together as Evadne's eyes adjusted to the bright overhead light of the hangar. In front of her stood six identical men, who wore armor painted in black, grey and green, each with their own unique design.
            Their helmets were off, giving Evadne a chance to study the faces of the men she'll probably see everyday from then on. They were all the same face, but each man wore it uniquely. Each one had a different hair style, tattoo, scars or facial hair. They all stood at perfect attention; eyes ahead of them, backs straight, heads held high with almost identical stern looks on their faces.
           Evadne caught eyes with one that looked familiar. His hair was buzzed and a vivid scar ran across his face. Her eyes lit up when she realized she did know this trooper. It was Ratchet.
           He made eye contact with her, his soft brown eyes twinkling. The corners of his mouth twitched up into a quick smile.
          "So? What do you think, Commander?" Sparrow asked.
          Evadne turned to her Captain. "They're perfect," she grinned, "When's our first mission?"
          Sparrow returned a faint smile. "In two days."
          Evadne's eyes widened. She tried holding the bubbling excitement growing within her. "Really?"
          Sparrow gave her an apologetic look. "It was on short notice, but we were called to assist on Ryloth. The briefing for the campaign is at 1500 on the dot. You hear that troopers?!"
          A chorus of "Yessir"'s echoed through the hangar bay.
          Evadne repeated the time in her head, making sure not to forget.
          Sparrow nodded approvingly. "At ease, soldiers. Go rest a little before the briefing, alright?" He turned to Evadne, "That includes you too, Commander. You've been spacing out a lot today."
          "I'm ok. I'm not that tired anyways," Evadne smiled.
          Sparrow chuckled. "I'm not sure I really believe that. But, if you don't rest then you might as well be productive and at least start that paperwork of yours." He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling.
         Evadne groaned. Even though the excitement of having a new squad had woken her up a bit, she admittedly felt exhausted still. "Fine," Evadne sighed, "But, you promise you'll get some sleep tonight. You can't run on caff all the time."
        Sparrow pressed his lips together. "I'll try to, Commander." He glanced back at the squad, who had grouped up and were chatting with each other, all except one. Ratchet. He was standing alone, watching the others.
        As if sensing eyes on him, Ratchet looked over at them, locking eyes with Evadne. He smiled. Evadne grinned back, sending a small wave his way.
        "Well," Sparrow spoke, "I guess I'll get back to my other work. I'll see you at the briefing." He patted Evadne on the shoulder.
         "Yup, see you then, Captain," Evadne nodded goodbye before Sparrow turned and left the hangar bay.
          "It's nice to see you again, Commander," Ratchet's voice came from behind.
           Evadne turned to him with a big smile on her face. "I can say the same to you, Ratchet!" She watched as Ratchet's face lit up when she said his name.
         "You remember my name," he grinned.
         "Of course I do! I mean, you did save my life," Evadne shrugged.
         "You saved my life too. This is proof," Ratchet said, pointing at the scar across his face.
         "Oof, yeah sorry about that... If I was faster I'm sure that wouldn't be there."
         Ratchet chuckled. "It's alright. Really, it is. I'm starting to think it kinda fits me anyways."     
         Evadne narrowed her eyes, studying his face, before breaking out into a smile again. "Yeah, you're right. It really doesn't look that bad on you."
        They stepped out of the way to let three troopers through. They stopped their talking to mutter a few passing "Commander"'s with a nod. Evadne nodded back, acknowledging them as they went. She quickly glanced at the two remaining ones who seemed to be admiring some nose art of a Twi'lek girl on a nearby gunship.
       "So, do you know any of the others in the squad well?" Evadne asked, turning back to Ratchet. 
       "We've been around each other for a week or so now," Ratchet shrugged, "Don't know them that well, just their names and such." He motioned to the two at the gunship, "That's Kit and Bugger. The other three were Nathan, Momo and V."
      Evadne listened intently. "Huh, I need to get to know them before we ship out."
      Ratchet nodded in agreement. "I think most of them have been looking forward to working directly under you, so you won't find any trouble in doing so probably." His eyes flicked back at Kit and Bugger for a second.
       "Kriff, I hope we all get along. If we-" Evadne was interrupted by a yawn escaping her mouth. Her eyes widened as she clasped a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry!" Evadne felt her face going red.
       Ratchet laughed softly. "It's all good," he reassured her, "I think we're all tired."
       Evadne looked at Ratchet's chestplate, still embarrassed. "Yeah, I might rest soon."
       "Rest sounds nice. I'll head for my barracks too," Ratchet sighed. He looked down at Evadne with a soft smile. His eyes lit up suddenly. "Hey, since we have to go the same direction anyways, why don't we go together? We can catch up a little on the way."
        Evadne thought, a smile forming on her lips. "Sure, why not?" She grinned. "Come on, let's go."