"I was programmed to handle hard situations, Sir."
"Yes, but he was quite close to you, wasn't he? Did he say anything? Every piece of information he possessed could help us win the war. Isn't that what you want?" The Chancellor watches me closely...
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Day 741 SK Destination: Ionis Jedi Temple 1400 hours
I never thought I'd be bored with the war going on, but here I am.
After helping Rex on Anaxes, I was taken to the Jedi Temple on Ionis while I wait for the Wolfpack to get back. So Peg and I have been exploring to pass time. I spend most of my off-call time on Coruscant, so the change of scenery is nice, though it'd be nicer if I didn't get so lost that I missed lunch.
Now I wander the halls with Peg at my side, passing several Jedi and the occasional clone. I get some confused looks, but no one stops me as I start climbing yet another spiral staircase. The Ionis temple is a series of spires, connected underground and through tunnels in the air, making it one of the most unique temples I've seen yet, not that that list is very long.
I sigh, glancing at Peg. "I'm not used to having so much spare time." He blinks up at me, ever the good listener. I laugh, giving him a good scratch between the ears. "Maybe it is a good thing I'm always busy."
We reach the stop of the staircase and he stops. I watch him in confusion as I walk straight into the door in front of us. Ow. That would explain why he stopped in the middle of the hall. Shaking my head, the door slides open and I follow Peg inside.
It leads to a long, dim hallway that must stretch across the entire level of the building. A few doors ahead of us, a clone steps into the hall, talking with a droid. They exchange a few words, the clone is handed a report, and he ducks back into the room, looking flustered.
Peg and I share one look, and I nod.
Together, we pass the droid and step into the room the clone went in. Injured clones fill the dozens of cots in the room. It must have been urgent if they didn't go to Kamino instead. Another big mission that went south like Umbara. It looks like clone squad 187, who wear brownish-maroon and serve under General Windu's command. I have a maroon stripe of my own on my hip plate.
A few yards from me, a clone wheezes as blood drips from a puncture in his side. The small machine he's connected to shows he's got low oxygen in his blood. I grab a scanning device and find the barcode on his arm. Then I wave a medical droid over —one of three roaming the room— and gesture to the clone.
"Examine CT-5135 for the possibility of a punctured lung."
"Yes, Sir," it replies in an automated voice. It takes me a second to realize Peg isn't by my side anymore. I look up to see him sitting in front of the now-baffled medic. He's the only one in the entire room.
"Peg, come here buddy," I call as I walk over. He twists to look at me, getting to his feet as I stop beside him. The clone stares at us.
"Hi?" I offer, smiling.
He shakes himself off. "Uh, hello, sorry, there's a lot going on right now. Can I... help you?"
"Can I help you?" I reply. "I don't see anyone else on duty."
He glances up at me, then back to the reports from the droid. "You're a medic?"
"Yep." I flash my left shoulder pauldron, sporting a medical symbol identical to the one on his shoulder.
He looks around the room. "Oh, okay. Pine needs his fluid bag switched out." He points to a clone with a bandage covering half his face. I nod, moving over swiftly.
We work together for a few hours, getting the patients into stable-enough condition that they can be taken to Kamino. Then we help take them down to the ship hangar. By the time we're done doing that it's dark out. It gets dark earlier here than it does on Coruscant. There's less light pollution, too.
It's actually kinda pretty. I lean against the large door in the ship hangar as the ships pass by, taking the injured troops to either be patched up and sent out again, or put down because it's not worth it.
Because they're not worth it.
It makes me sick.
"You missed dinner."
I glance to my left as the medical clone steps up beside me. He offers a mug of something warm that smells rich and earthy. I find it comfortable in my hands, despite how different it is from the cool weight of a blaster.
"So did you," I reply.
"I'm used to working long shifts." He shrugs. "If this is Peg—" he scratches Peg between the ears, "—then you must be Sniper?"
"That's what they call me." I take a sip of the warm liquid. It's more savory than sweet. "You've heard of me?"
"I grew up in the same facility you did," he explains sheepishly. "I'm Shark."
"Why Shark?"
He winces. "Because of the blood." He looks down at his hands, which I notice aren't wearing gloves. They're raw, and his black sleeves have traces of red in them. "The life of a medic isn't easy.
"I get that," I say quietly. "It's nice to meet you, Shark."
"You too, Sniper." He smiles, looking out at the stars. I prefer to look at the vast grassland in front of us, with more towering structures scattered across it. Shark is silent a moment before speaking. "What's on your mind?"
His question catches me off-guard. I glance over to see him smiling kindly at me. Looking back at the field, I decide that maybe I can trust him just a little bit.
"We're getting the upper hand in the war, if General Skywalker's reports were right. And for the first time in years, everything is quiet." I glance at the stars, brow furrowed together. Since my first day in the field, I've been training, cleaning, preparing for missions, serving alongside my brothers and the Jedi. "It feels like a warning."
He's quiet for a moment, contemplating my words. "We've been fighting this war for so long, it's hard to imagine it could ever end. But when it's over, you still have a lot of life to live."
"I'll be lucky if I survive the war at all." I think of Ahsoka.
Hardcase.
Waxer.
Den Kiri.
"I never believed in luck," Shark says.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." He smiles, giving Peg a final scratch. "I've gotta turn in, but I'm glad I could finally meet you, Sniper."
"Remember to grab some dinner on your way back."
He laughs as he walks away and I yawn. He's right that it's late. I should probably find somewhere to sleep until my Pack gets back. I'm still exhausted from the last couple days.
But for now, I stand beside my wolf and watch the stars, holding my breath in the calm before the storm.
