Star Wars Fanfic - The Padawan Path

Chap. 4 - Reinforcements in Christophsis

The journey to Christophsis was long and tedious for the enthusiastic Padawan, whose master forced him to sit in meditation the entire way. Hours had passed, and his butt was beginning to ache from staying in a meditation pose, next to his already numb legs. On one occasion he even raised his head to see his teacher and ask permission to go to the bathroom, but he shook his head even before he asked. As if he imagined what he wanted before even thinking about it. Luckily for Roy, a message from the admiral interrupted his meditation.

Admiral: - General. We approach the space space of Christophsis. We've received a transmission from Admiral Yularen. They say that Generals Skywalker and Kenobi are having a lot of trouble on the ground. We need to break the Separatist blockade so we can send reinforcements. -

Pablo: - Understood, Admiral. Prepare the troops to land as soon as we break through the blockade. -

Admiral: - Yes, general. - And ended the holocall.

Pablo: - And for you, young padawan. You will be under the command of Captain CT-3796. You will follow his orders like any other Lieutenant, but you will not have any troops under your command. Understood? -

Roy: - Yes, general. -

Paul: - Very good. See you at the landing platform. Prepare your equipment. -

Roy: - Yes, general. He answered with a cold voice.

Pablo-Jill didn't like treating the young Padawan in such a way, he even felt bad for doing it, and he was worried about that lack of emotions when expressing his doubts. In fact, he wasn't even dissatisfied, he just followed orders and shut himself off from him. Pablo had to find a way to connect with Roy, but for now he needed to understand what respect and chain of command meant within the army.

The Jedi left the room, leaving Roy behind. As he left, two clones that were on guard stood to attention in a military pose when he saw him, and he simply ordered them to rest before retiring to the command post. A few seconds later, Roy left the room, though with a much less serious face than before.

Roy stretched with all his strength, to then jerk his neck violently, something that worried the two clones quite a bit. A very deep breath, and in less than ten seconds his enthusiastic face reappeared.

Roy: - Do you know where I can find Captain CT-3796? - I ask, leaving the clones surprised by the sudden change of attitude.

Roy scoured the Venator cruiser barracks, looking for his new superior. On the way he met many clones, who greeted him and praised him for his great deeds during the capture of Gala, but he only returned the greetings, leaving aside the compliments. After all, he wasn't interested in being a hero or anything like that.

Roy: - Captain CT-3796? He-he asked a clone in blue armor who was on his back arguing with several lieutenants.

Clone Captain: - Yes? What do you need...? The clone asked as he turned around, though he was stunned to see who it was.

Roy: -Hammer? -

Hammer:-Roy? - The two asked surprised.

Roy: - So you are my new superior? -

Hammer: - And you my new recruit. When the commander informed me that he had to attend to a new Lieutenant, I never imagined it was you. But... Lieutenant? Aren't you supposed to be a commander or something? - I ask without hesitation.

Roy: - Yeah... Well... The general has other ideas in mind. For a while I thought he was going to be a private. So I don't think he didn't do too badly for me. -

The real reason why Paul put him in that position with those restrictions was not by chance. Being a private, he had to obey the orders of a sergeant or a lieutenant, officers who might not know how to give orders to a Padawan, much less take advantage of it in combat. Captain Hammer had already seen him in action, so he would have a general idea of where he could be useful. On the other hand, a senior position wouldn't teach Roy the basics of warfare alongside an army, and he wasn't ready to have men report to him. That was something he had to earn.