SWRC: Tales of the Clone Wars (Book 2.5)

Chapter 5 Corruption in the Republic.

It had been almost nine months since Neeran had been out on the field in the Clone Wars.

When her clone commander had been critically shot up on Jedha, Neeran had had to pull her company out of the immediate fighting because of the severe mental instability of almost the entire company. Very few were unaffected and Neeran was almost certain that the few who weren't were actually pretending not to be concerned.

It had taken a lot to convince both the Jedi Council and the leaders of the Republic to allow 144 clone troopers and their Jedi commander leave of the war until their clone commander was back and ready to fight in the action of the war, but eventually they had conceded after examinations were undertaken of the entire company and came back with an insane list of problems both inside and surrounding the company.

It had been relatively quiet where Orange Company had been stationed on Coruscant so that they could still help with the war and monitor Captain Tye's condition.
Sure, a few skirmishes had happened in the last year but those had been simple exercises that the company could have conducted in its sleep.

For the most part.

Neeran was presently attending one of the many Republic Senate meetings that always seemed to be occurring on the planet during the war. She had been ordered to observe the proceedings by the Jedi Council as some were beginning to grow suspicious of the Supreme Chancellors steadily increasing power and dictorial rule over the galaxy.

As Neeran had listened to the meeting, she could tell that something was amiss but she didn't think it was the Chancellor as many were suspecting. Neeran felt as though a different power was conducting the war from within the Senate.

"Something's going on in this government," muttered Neeran as she watched the Senate meeting. "But what is it? And who is wrong?"

After what felt like hours of sheer boredom, in which Neeran was sure she fell asleep more than once, the meeting came to an end and everyone was dismissed. Neeran stood up sharply in order to run out and disappear but staggered about like a drunken person until she regained feeling in most of her body.

And by then it was a little late.

"General Neeran Claire Zaneshi," said a very familiar voice. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Senator Oyunger," greeted Neeran in return with a small bow.

The tall Cerean senator returned the bow and began to speak again, "Why, it's been so long since I've seen you. How have you been? Where have you been?"
"I've been stationed her for almost a year with my company," replied Neeran, trying to find a way out of the situation.

"And what about that Padawan of yours, Hiccup you said his name was?"

"I need to leave, Senator," said Neeran, stopping him from going any further.
"Why are you in such a rush?" asked the Senator Oyunger.
"It's the captain of my company, Captain Tye," said Neeran. "It's my turn to watch over him."
"You mean Orange Company's captain, the one who's been asleep for nine months?" asked Oyunger.

"That's the one," said Neeran, continuing her lies. "Hiccup is currently watching over him, and now it's my turn to relieve him."
"I wish you good luck then and hope that your Captain wakes up soon," said Senator Oyunger. "We need everyone in this war."

"Yes Senator," said Neeran. "I'll see you around."

Before Senator Oyunger even had time to reply, Neeran had disappeared into the vast exterior of the Senate building.

Hurriedly jumping down the steps out the front of the Senate building and into her borrowed air speeder, Neeran sped away whilst thinking about how hard it was to keep up the facade that the real Neeran was actually gone and she was just simply a copy.
Conversations about her 'pupil' Hiccup were always dangerous waters for her to tread in.

Many didn't even realise that the real Neeran was actually gone and she was just a copy of her. Sometimes it worked to her advantage and other times it really did not.

Parking the speeder out the front of the local military hospital for critically injured clone troopers, Neeran stepped out and felt as though this time was different.

As Neeran walked down the corridor to her clone commanders hospital room, Neeran noticed the amount of noise coming from the room and the noise didn't seem to be sad but rather joyful and full of life.

As Neeran peeked into the room, she noted a rather embarrassed Colours being praised by many of the company in front of Tye.

"You did what?!" came the sudden exclamation of Captain Tye, much to Neeran's surprise.
"I didn't touch the helmet!" came Colours reply.

Neeran smiled to herself as Tye sighed in relief and Colours and Kye explained to him what was going on with the new armour. Suddenly, by her side appeared an early middle aged doctor and he made to enter to room.

"Leave them," said Neeran, motioning for the doctor to leave. "They haven't seen him alive in almost a year. They all deserve so time together."
"Even so," said the doctor. "It's my duty to check every patient under my care. He has just been in a coma for a little over nine months. He may even be in pain right now."

"I don't think he's in pain," said Neeran, directing the doctors gaze over to his recently awoken patient. "If anything, I'd say that's the happiest I've even seen this company of misfits, degenerates, outcasts, disabled and broken with their commander than they have ever been under my care."

"Fine," sighed the doctor. "I'll check him at another time."
As the doctor left, Neeran cast one more glance into the room of Orange Company 49, as they had been dubbed in the last nine months, and caught Tye's gaze.

Neeran decided to disappear before he bought her into their familial discussion. Even though she herself was a clone, she did not feel related to the brothers in Tye's room.

She was a clone of a different template and as such, considered herself a cousin of theirs at best.

Not really a member of their close knit family.

Though sometimes she longed to be...