Twisted Morals✧︎ A Clone Wars Story

2: The Serpent

The Republic shuttle left early in the morning with a dejected Sei on board. She didn't feel like speaking with the pilot and blatantly ignored him when he tried to hold an amicable and good-natured conversation.

If there had been a window in the shuttle for her to look out of, she would've tried to name the planets and the stars they passed. But instead, she sat in silence and pitied herself and her situation. In her head, she ridiculed the clone captain and the Jedi Council who had agreed with him. She also spent thirty minutes wondering what Master Kyja would be like.

She had heard of Mora before. She was not well-known, but those who knew her respected her greatly. Even Krell had mentioned the Jedi Knight before, saying, "Her tactics are lukewarm. She takes no risks, and yet she is not overly cautious. She treats her troops as if they were her family and is too affectionate to let them complete their job; namely, dying for the Republic. I do not support her strategies."

"Padawan Belwyn," said the clone pilot, pulling Sei out of her web of thoughts, "We're getting ready to land in the Serpent's hangar."

The land was smooth and Sei disembarked from the ship, the pilot escorting her off. She found herself in the massive main hangar of the Republic cruiser known as the vicious Serpent. The hangar was busy. Clones were hustling and bustling around and astromechs were gliding over the floors in a frenzy.

In a hangar of identical clone soldiers, it was not hard to identify the odd one out- Mora Kyja. She stood next to a clone with cyan markings on his helmet and they seemed to be engaging in a lively conversation. The very moment she noticed Sei a great big smile broke out on her face.

She rushed towards Sei, leaving the clone behind, and instantly started speaking to Sei as if she had known her for ages.

"I'm delighted to see you, Sei! The Jedi Council told me you were coming today and the boys and I have been waiting in the hangar all day to greet you. It is too quiet here, we haven't had a mission in days. Oh, and Laugh- thank you for bringing Sei here," she shot an appreciative grin at the clone pilot, who had begun to walk away from the ship.

"No problem, General."

"There's really so much to show you, and I'm not sure I know where to begin," Mora laughed.

There was a slight moment of silence and Sei took the opportunity to observe the eager Jedi. She was a Twi'lek, with skin a light purple color. She had extremely polished white teeth and the jolliest smile Sei had ever seen. She wore tan Jedi robes and kept the hood of her dark brown cloak down. Her lightsaber hilt, which was attached to her belt, was intricately decorated and of a silver color.

"My child, have you been on a Jedi cruiser before? You look very bewildered," asked Mora, who was settling down a bit. She beckoned the clone she had been standing with over to where the two Jedi were conversing. He came reluctantly.

"For an hour, yes," replied Sei, "but then it blew up."

Mora's eyes widened, and so did the clone's. "That won't happen to this one, I assure you. The Serpent is as strong as a kyber crystal and just as durable."

"My old master told me that any ship goes down if you topple the bridge."

"Et," Mora whispered to the clone standing beside her, "Make the bridge last in the tour."

"Duly noted, General."

"Anyways," said Mora, clasping her hands together gleefully, "I'm sure you'd like to meet the soldiers of the 865th, our legion. And we should start by introducing you to Commander Et. You wouldn't find a more loyal trooper if you searched the entire army."

Commander Et removed his helmet, revealing a generic face in which Sei could identify no individuality except for his hair being fully shaved on the left side. He stretched out his right hand and said, "Pleased to meet you, Padawan Belwyn."

Sei did not take his hand and instead stood there rigid and unmoving like a wall.

"Ah, well, not everyone likes handshakes," Mora laughed goodnaturedly, (she did this very often) "Some people are afraid of getting their hands dirty. Not that your hands are dirty, commander...It's late, shall I show you to your quarters, Sei?" She gave an exasperated sigh.

"It's morning," said Sei skeptically.

"Your perception of time goes wonky when you're up here in space, right, General?" Said Et, jumping in to defend the slightly irritated knight.

"Yes, it's quite confusing." Mora was silent for a moment and regained her air of excitement. "Anyways, we best move out of the main hangar. It's very busy here and the arrival of a new crew member may be distracting."

"A new crew member?" Stated Sei, repeating the Jedi's words and marveling at them slightly. Mora began walking with Et following closely behind her. Sei walked directly next to Mora.

"Well, yes," said Mora, "On this cruiser and in this war we're all part of a crew. It doesn't matter if you're a decorated war veteran or a fledgling warrior- you have a place in the 865th."