A Soldier's Secret

Part 3

I was hiding behind a rock, waiting for a break in the gunfire. The onslaught had hit us hard, and when the break came, I aimed my gun around the boulder and fired. I was rewarded with the sound of a droid falling.

 I smelled the burnt flesh before I felt the pain, and my arm raged with the new sensation. I nearly cried out, but my mouth refused to open as I pried myself off the ground. My fist was curled around my gun, and I shot something. My arm was still screaming, its voice in my head roaring against the abuse. But I still managed to aim and fire, and a scream of metal followed. I grinned, then pushed myself to my feet, thanking the tree for being an excellent crutch. I could hear Rex, shouting orders, and I saw the flashes of lightsabers. Excellent. The head start I gave Rex was winning us the battle...But the tanks. Where were the tanks?

I opened my comm "Rex, pull everyone to the tree line!" I shouted

"Why? We're winning!" he shot something

"The tanks! The tanks can't aim in the forest. They need you in the open before they fire the tanks!" I shouted. He stopped to consider something

"Okay. Treeline it is" He said, and shouted some orders. I sighed and sat down, my arm slightly quieter. I heard the first footsteps thundering toward me, and I felt relieved when the entire unit thundered into the trees, droids in pursuit. Rex was in the back of the pack, the Jedi behind him. There were still a ways away when another clone found me and dragged me along, forcing me to sit out of the fight with the medic.

The needles he used to numb the pain of the worst injured gave me the chills. They looked like the same as the ones the Kaminoans used, but they were filled with some sedatives, not drugs. I tried to avoid looking at them as he worked, trying not to be sick.

He was done with me soon, and I ran back to the nearest tree and started climbing

"Cedar" Rex said "Your intel was right. The tanks can't aim in here"

"Can't talk now" I said

"Let me guess. You're climbing a tree?" He drawled

"I'm going to go see how far out the stragglers are" I snapped, then scoffed and kept climbing. I didn't go sky high, but far enough there was a decent amount of foliage camouflaging me. I jumped, and spotted the tanks, trying to push through the trees. Droids, unburdened with heavy artillery, strode through the trees easily "Their artillery is useless. But the clankers are still going strong" I told Rex

"How far are you from us?" He asked

"Five tree jumps of varying lengths" I smiled

"That was useless" Rex sighed

"Eight minutes or so" I added "I'm on my way back now"

I started jumping, taking a slower pace to ensure safety. The main forces were setting up in a defensive position, now knowing how long the clankers would be. The first shots were fired as I started on my way down. An explosion rocked the area, and I knew the first tank had attempted to help. But my prediction was correct, and they missed terribly. I resisted the urge to laugh at their ineptitude as I fired at a clanker. Others around me were doing the same, and it was exhilarating to see the droids fall at a rapid pace.

I saw him, beside me, his smug grin the same "Never gets old" I blinked, and he vanished. Like that. Just like on the cliff. I turned back to the fight and kept firing. Now was no time to get distracted, I scolded. I was still a shiny to them. Now was a chance to prove I wasn't, so I moved forward and fired until my blasters were so hot they hurt to hold.

Dropping the smoking guns, I rolled backwards behind a tree, blowing on my hands. They stung but recovered enough to let me grab the guns again and keep firing.

By the time the clankers fell back, I could tell at least some of the others had seen I wasn't useless. I avoided Rex, the clone who dragged me to the medics, the medics, and the Jedi. Everyone. Solitude was peaceful if you knew how to achieve the right kind.

Clones who didn't know me yet were everywhere, doing tasks and other things. I recognised one, the guy Rex called Jesse. He didn't recognise me, just one more clone in the mass. Eating required taking off my helmet, and I wasn't about to do that. So I sat in silence, running my hands over my blasters, feeling the scratches from wear and tear, familiar things.

A clone sat down across from me, and I recognised the paint on his armour. The clone who dragged me to the medics. I silently cursed him, and everything he'd done as he settled in for a staring match. He made a series of hand gestures, and I flipped him off in return. He laughed silently and wrote a note on a piece of paper

"I said hi. I'm Sonic, Rex's batchmate"

I flipped him off again, but he persisted.

 "You'd get along well with the rest of the batch," He wrote "If you'd bother to talk to us" I shrugged, then spotted the Jedi. I cursed silently and walked away.