When the Cavalry Comes.

IV

She had her assignment. The barracks were to be thoroughly boobytrapped by her and the ARC trooper Fives. She tossed the stick of butter between her hands as her and Fives approached the barracks. She knew what she was doing was a little selfish, to seek revenge against one of her brothers. But she would not stand to be treated like a little girl when she was just as capable as them, if not in the same areas, then in her own.

Fives looked at her out of the corner of his eye and jumped, his mischievous grin sliding off.

"Somebody has a vendetta." He said Cavalry was startled out of her revery.

"What?" She said stupidly, looking at her brother.

"For a second there, you looked down right scary. I said somebody had a vendetta." He said. She nodded.

"One of our brothers has been making my last couple days... Difficult." She skirted. A dark gleam came into Fives eyes.

"Who?"

"The clone I share a bunk with, a pale vod named Whiteout. Think he has albinism or something." She said. Fives fished around with something before pulling out a firecracker. Cavalry caught her breath. There was contraband, and then there was contraband. Must have cost him a fortune some place planetside, considering they had to trade with the civvies instead of pay. Anything from droid hands to vambraces was acceptable, she heard.

"So let's get him extra good." He said. Cavalry flashed him a grin. The opened the door to the barracks and Cav approached her own bunk, and looked to be sure that Whiteout was there. He was, snoring, drooling, and cuddling with his pillow like a teddy bear. Cavalry couldn't help herself. She pulled out a datapad and snapped a picture, saving it to her holodisk.  Fives snickered.

"Poor, poor Whiteout. Send me a copy of that, will you?" He grinned, and began picking the lock on the lockers. He rigged the cans of spray goo in a few of them, Whiteout's included. Cav unwrapped the butter and began to slide it on the rungs of his ladder. "You are cruel. I like you." Fives's eyes twinkled at her. He pulled some glitter glue out of the same pocket as a the firecracker. She didn't know where he got it, but he tossed it to her, and she knew what she was going to do with it.

"Can you jimmy his locker open?" She asked, pointing to Whiteout's locker. Fives obliged. Sh took out his helmet and began to decorate it, like he had done hers. She also took some paint and gave him some other decorations on his chestplate, as well as rigged an airhorn into his locker with the goo. Fives hung the firecracker from the ceiling, taping the pull cord to to a light panel. Who ever tried to pull it down would be in for a surprise.

"I think that wraps it up." Fives said, gesturing to what would be mass chaos in the morning. It was nearly midnight, according to the bright chrono on the wall. They headed back to the infirmary, where a couple other groups were back already. There was no sign of Ahsoka, Rex, and Neon, but everyone else appeared back.

Cavalry pulled out her data pad and forwarded the photo of Whiteout sleeping to everyone who had been involved in the prank attack. Fives was drawing on the sleeping clones faces, and now Bomb, Scatter, and Tup were all rocking giant doodlestaches.

Fives pulled out his datapad, and found the photo of Whiteout sleeping. He went over and sat with Kix and Jesse, taking turns playing mindless games on the datapad. Jesse fell asleep first, his head resting on Kix's shoulder. Fives fell into sleep not long after, his head in Kix's lap. Cavalry shook her head with a rueful grin. She snapped another picture of them all cuddled up, but kept this one to herself.

Rex, who was now untied and had butter all over his hands walked through the infirmary doors with Ahsoka and Neon right behind him. Cavalry raced over, dragging Neon off into her little corner to talk with him.

"How did you guys do?" She asked. Neon grinned.

"Well, we buttered the tables, rigged airhorns and spray goo inside the doors, and Ahsoka mixed espresso into the mush-er... rations." He said with a smile. Cav grinned right back, and began to describe how she had buttered the rungs on Whiteout's ladder and messed with his armor. She showed him the picture of her quarry sleeping, and it took Neon a full minute to recover. His war paint was smeared into raccoon eyes, and now it ran down his face as he cried with laughter.

"Hey, where's our leader?" He asked, finally managing to get a grip on himself as he looked around. Hardcase, the only one who was still awake at this point besides themselves, answered.

"They have their own rooms, and so elected to sleep there instead of here. I bet though that they're both in Ahsoka's room snuggled up against each other. It's a wonder how they think that their secrecy is foolproof. I bet half the cruiser knows." The three shared a laugh, and Neon yawned.

"I'm tired, and I'm terrified of going to the barracks so I think I will stay here." Neon said, sliding down the wall and into the corner, and Cavalry sat next to him. Despite being chronologically older than most of the clones, she considered herself to be the little sister of the group. The clones humored her as such too. Or, most of them did, and the others she painted glitter all over their armor and took embarrassing photos of. Ahsoka had been right, this was worth the break from studying for Umbara.

The screams from her brothers that woke her in the morning from her puppy pile on Neon and Hardcase made it even more so.