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

Seventeen

Coruscant, 1400 hours

Hours passed. The Chiss man, who had now introduced himself as Bacsa, walked back and forth in front of the squadron. He issued threats, which everyone knew he could carry out, yet no matter what the Chiss Hunter said he would do, Sarge held Null back. The ARC was beginning to get tired of this, and he was more than fed up with Bacsa. Finally, Null managed to jerk away from Sarge with intention to walk up there and turn himself over.

I can get myself out of this, which means I should be allowed to get myself into it, he thought defiantly as he started to take a couple of steps forward. Sarge reached out to grab him, but failed. Null had his mind set. He wouldn't let his brothers suffer any longer. 

Just then, the Jedi showed up. Like a perfectly timed shot in a battle, General Fas and Padawan Doon arrived just as Bacsa was about to issue another threat. Fas must have sensed the man was a threat, for as soon as she caught sight of Bacsa standing there in front of the squadron she pulled out her weapon and began running towards him.

"Surrender yourself sithspawn!" she called, growing closer. Bacsa's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise and question as he turned. Fas narrowed her eyes, still running towards him.

"Get away from my men," she hissed. Bacsa pulled out his blaster, grinning.

"Honey, I've fought Jedi. You're all as pathetic as your little white armored pets."

He fired off several shots at Fas, and turned back around as if he expected one of them to have hit her. Instead, the General deflected them back, batting the last shot away from her and towards Bacsa. It struck him in the leg and his knee buckled as his head whipped around in surprise. Fas's eyes were slightly dark.

"Do not underestimate the power of a force user," she snapped, slowing to a walk as she approached him. Null had paused, still frozen where he stood, watching. The General walked up to Bacsa as he stood and limped towards her. She held her lightsaber out as a warning to him.

"Get lost, scum," the general said. Bacsa's eyes flashed and Null could feel tension rising.

He's going to challenge her, he thought. However, the hunter didn't make a challenge and instead he picked up his fallen blaster, then scowled at the Jedi, starting to limp off as Fas's dark eyes tracked him carefully, monitoring his every move until he disappeared around the corner. Null watched the Chiss walk away in shock.

He was do dead set on finding me and he's just going to walk away now?

Before Null would entertain the question further, Fas walked up, turning off her lightsaber as she approached. She wasn't looking for Null, though, and shoved past him, heading to speak with Sarge. Null glanced behind him, still trying to relax after the tense standoff with the bounty hunter and listened for what the General would say. The General lowered her voice and the ARC decided that whatever she was telling Sarge wasn't important for him to hear. He returned his gaze to the front and saw several of the clones now gathering in a small circle off to one side.

Haley.

Null walked quickly over to where the small group was, breaking into a jog halfway there although the expected sight met his eyes, it unnerved him all the same. Null gently pushed forward in the circle of men, surrounding their fallen brother and immediately felt his breath hitch in his throat. The medic laid where he had fallen, dulled and glossy eyes staring upwards into the sky a moments terror and shock preserved in the man's features perfectly. Had it not been for the deathly white of the man's skin, he would have seemed alive. Null's mind instantly flashed back several years and he could vividly remember re-boarding the ship only to find he lifeless bodies of his brothers littering the ship. He felt his eyes growing slightly moist, but fought it back, refusing to display such weakness. This was war. Men would die, his brothers would die. All that mattered was that they kept fighting.

Slowly the group broke up, leaving only Null. When he was all that was left, he knelt beside the medic's body. He almost wondered what Haley saw through his blank eyes which stared into nothingness.

Recollecting his thought of only moments ago, he shook his head. What am I telling myself? This might be war, and people might die. But these men are my brothers.

Reaching out, he used one hand to close the man's eyelids. After another long moment of staring at the medic's now more peaceful expression, Null lifted him from the ground. The motion forced the last of the air from the man's lungs which resulted in a low moan from the medic, which unnerved Null ever more as he stood up, gripping Haley's body in his arms. He saw Fas walk away from Sarge and almost walked over there, but decided to wait a moment. Half of his brain wanted to tell him to go see the medic in order to know what to do, yet he knew that would be impossible. Finally, he decided to walk over and speak with Sarge. Gently lying Haley down off to one side, he started that way when General Fas intercepted him.

"SC-02," she said.

He looked up. "Yes, General?"

Fas looked down at him, handing over a brand new civilian ID. "You are being released from my command and that of this squadron now that the Hostage Situation has been resolved. Your ship was salvaged and repaired. It awaits you at the Senatorial Port. The Republic is not binding you to any military contract seeing as there are no records of you in the military database. You're a freeman now."

Null stared at the ID for a long moment, then nodded out of blank formality. "Thank you, ma'am."

Fas dipped her head in courtesy then walked off. Null pocketed the ID, not expecting to ever use it. He was a soldier, and he would remain a soldier until the day he died.

For my brothers. For Haley, he thought and his eyes darkened slightly. Now he started out across the street, making his way over to Sarge hastily.

"Sarge," he called, walking up and stopping. The sergeant looked over, then turned to face Null.

"Yes?"

"I have a request," Null said. He tried to keep from looking down or cutting his eyes away.

"Let me hear it," Sarge said.

Null took a deep breath. "I want to bury Haley," he said quickly.

Sarge's entire expression darkened for a moment with grief, his eyes glazing over for just a second before he nodded. "You may."

"Thank you, sir," Null said. He started to turn but Sarge caught him by the arm.

"Where are you going to bury him?" the sergeant asked in a solemn voice. Null shifted to face Sarge again.

"Why does it matter, sir?"

Sarge now took a deep breath. "Because he always told me he didn't want to be buried alone. Haley made it clear that he wanted to be buried beside his brothers."

Null nodded, wanting to respect the deceased man's wishes. "Don't worry," he told Sarge quietly. "He won't be buried alone. I'm taking him to the planet where I made my brothers' grave and I will bury him there. Haley was a strong and brave man and he deserves to rest in peace with others like him." Null saw Sarge nodding with his words in full agreement. Slowly, Null's gaze shifted over a few inches until he was looking at the horizon, his expression falling to one of a longing remembrance as he finished in a soft voice.

"Haley deserves to be buried with the Cuy'Val Dar."