Star Wars The Clone Wars: Cuy'Val Dar#Wattys2016

Twelve

"Are you sure it's him?" the woman asked, although she didn't seem to care much. Her client nodded but was silent. The woman looked over the file again, the brown hair, the brown eyes, olive skin, they all looked the same. Then again, they were supposed to. And the man she saw before her eyes on the projector was supposed to be dead. Slowly, she shut off the projector, looking to the man sitting across from her with his hands folded neatly on top of her pristine desk.

"Well, if it's him, you know what to do."

She rose, as did her client. Extending one long thin hand, she shook his hand. Then he turned to leave and she sat down at her desk again, spreading both hands slowly across the perfect white surface. Slowly, Ko Sai smiled.

///

Republic Cruiser Vengeance, 0900 hours

Null walked out of the communications room, looking a little more deflated than he had upon entering. He could still hear the voice of Commander Risk in his ears. The ARC kept his eyes to the floor as he walked past a couple of officers and headed for the lift.

Who trained you? The Commander had nearly yelled at him, Because no man with half a brain in his head would think to completely disregard his superiors orders and charge in there, knowing full well he might have gotten himself killed!

Null had stood there and listened, although he already knew how idiotic his actions had been. He had expected the lecture, though, and every word the Commander had said was true. Null should've known better than to charge that droid after specifically being ordered not to.

I was too blinded by my own pride, he thought as he rode the lift down a couple of levels. When it stopped, he stepped out, heading down the hall to the mess, his eyes still kept to the floor. Sarge had already talked with him, but the sergeant hadn't seemed too sore on the matter. Entering the mess, Null decided not to eat yet, but sat alone at the back, wanting to think. He didn't get the luxury, though, because Bogie came and sat down opposite him. Null glanced up when the trooper sat down, but Bogie didn't say anything.

Strange, Null thought. The trooper hadn't been himself in a while, and the ARC was beginning to share the medic's concerns that something could be very wrong. Looking back down to the table, Null ignored Bogie, who ignored him. They sat in perfect silence for several minutes until someone called Bogie's name. Both men looked up to see Raze, the medic from earlier.

"Bogie!" he called again, walking closer. "Sarge needed you in ordinance supply," he said. Bogie said nothing, but nodded and got up, walking off. Raze watched him leave, then took the man's spot.

"He's gotten quiet. Sometimes I wonder if Bookkie's really the surviving one," Raze said, not looking over at Null. The ARC watched Raze scoot the remaining tray over a couple of inches, pulling off his right glove.

"Yeah, he's not been acting like himself," Null agreed. The medic looked down at his mechanical hand, laying his glove aside.

"Common result," Raze said.

"Common result?" Null asked.

"Yes. Haley explained it to me."

Null watched the Raze adjust his mechanical hand slightly."And what did he tell you?"

"That the trooper's suffering of MPD, caused by the Gemini Disruption." Raze glanced up, seeing the slightly confused look on Null's face and he smiled.

"I forgot, you soldiers don't speak medical terms. Bogie's developed a multiple personality disorder because he's lost his brother. Since he was used to "sensing" Bookkie's thoughts and feelings, he's reverted to acting more like Bookkie."