Beginners Luck

Chapter 1

Yep. No prologue for this story. This takes place right after the Domino Squad completes the citadel challenge. In this story, cadets stay on Kamino for a week after graduating. Don't question it.
——————————————————————————Echo was sitting with the rest of his squad. Him on his bunk reading the reg manuals, AGAIN. Hevy was cleaning his blasters, Cutup and Droidbait were arm wrestling while Fives supervised. He knew Fives would rather be out pranking the younger cadets, but during arm wrestling, the pair of clones sometimes played dirty. Besides, he had run out of shaving cream.

I looked down for a moment to watch his brothers below before noticing Jedi Master Shaak Ti walking with a clone with his helmet on right behind her. They were walking towards us. I set down the data pad and slid down the ladder. "Fives, did you cause trouble again? I don't want to get in trouble right after graduating." Fives looked away from the game for a second to stare at me disbelievingly. "No. After you and Hevy lectured me for hours about being on my best behavior. 'Sides, you know I have no pranking stuff right now."

"Well something's clearly happened. Look!" I pointed at the approaching figures and my brothers all stopped what they were doing to see. When they arrived we all straightened and stood at attention. "At ease." Said Master Ti. We relaxed slightly, "I've come here because we are adding another member to your squad." She gestured to her right where the clone now stood. "This is CT-4364. After your history with his old squad, we figured that you would be the most welcome to him."

We all exchanged glances with one another after she said his number. CT-4364 was our friend, his squad, the Celestial Squad was older than ours and I thought they graduated a month or two ago. "Because he has already graduated," The Jedi continued, "You won't have to take the citadel challenge again. I suggest you get acquainted with one another again." With that, the Togruta turned and walked away.

Lucky still hadn't moved. Fives spoke first, "Lucky? Is that you?" I expected a snarky, sarcastic comment on how of course it was him and asking whether they were ready to blast some clankers. Instead, he just reached up and removed his helmet. When I saw his face, I didn't recognize it at first. The features were the same, his silver right eye and golden left, but his expression, his posture, the way he stared at us, the way his once excited friendly eyes seemed as cold as the planet Hoth. He looked a little different from when we last saw him, a fresh trooper about to be shipped out, he had a streak of white through his black hair, a vicious scar that went right across his right eye. His eye wasn't damaged though. The strangest thing was the necklace around his neck. There was a black rope, and on it were four beads, carved, and made of wood. Heart sinking, I examined the beads, being the one with sharp eyesight, and saw they each had something painted on, along with numbers, four per bead.

He still didn't say anything and just removed his armor and slunk off to a empty bed. "What, happened?" That was Hevy. "Why is he in our squad, not with his batchmates? And why did he seem, so- so- cold?" I cleared my throat and my brothers looked at me wide eyed. Their brown eyes filled with questions unanswered. "I think-" My voice broke and I cleared my throat again, "I think Gold, Silver, Boost, and Shark, are dead."

"What?!" Burst Cutup, "They were the best squad that has graduated that we've ever seen. The only group that should've been made ARC but wasn't." It was strange. Their group was, quite literally nearly the best Squad to graduate. They weren't made ARC though. We never knew.

"There's no way they could all be dead." Said Droidbait as Fives nodded his head in agreement. "How could they have died?" Asked Hevy. I shrugged heavily as I looked up at the bunk our old friend was in. "I don't know. But did you see the beads on his necklace? They had their numbers." Droidbait shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe it."

"Well you better believe it." Said a cold voice from above. It was Lucky. "You heard us?" Asked Fives. "It's hard not to when you're all chattering like crickets down there." He said harshly, glaring at us. We all stood stunned as his bunk slid back into the wall. We all exchanged another glance. This was not the happy, mischievous, friendly Lucky we once knew. The death of his batchmates had clearly changed him. Without another word, we all went to our beds. While I lied in the dark space, I couldn't help fear that we had lost our old brother, forever.