When the Cavalry Comes.

VI

Cavalry was up as soon as Captain Rex threw the doors open. She rolled out of bed and forced her poofy hair into a messy braid. She started to kit up, putting on her nearly unpainted armor. Fives slid down his ladder from the top bunk of the bed next to her and began to kit up as well, getting done before she was.

She winced as she separated her tangled and snarled mess of hair and braided it up. Per regs for female natties, she could have it as long as she wants as long as it's up and out of the way. She finished her armor, settling the last piece in place and tucking her helmet under her arm as she made for the doors to the temporary barracks. Fives tossed her a ration bar as he fell in line beside her.

She hastily unwrapped the food and bit into it, finishing it as fast as humanly possible before jamming on her helmet. She stood among her fellow troopers, studying the map to commit it to memory with a clenched jaw her helmet hid. It was going to be a hard day's march, that much she could tell. As they moved out, she fidgeted with her knives and her 16, no longer over her shoulder but in her hands, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"You doing alright, Cav?" Fives asked, dropping back from his position right by the Captain to walk by her. Cavalry was already sweating slightly, but she nodded, glad that her annunciator wasn't picking up her slightly labored breathing.

"Just peachy." She grumbled. "This forrest has me on edge." Fives chuckled.

"You and me both."

Cavalry shivered as the fauna made itself known, several piercing shrieks splitting the eerie stillness. She shuddered and put her head down, focusing on the march ahead of her.

She almost let out an audible sigh of relief when the trench came into view. She slid down the embankment and leaned against the wall. Neon slid down next to her after a minute. She smiled under her bucket.

"Getting tired?" She teased. Neon grunted.

"I'm not the dust mite here." He quipped back, patting her on the head. She squawked in indignation and shoved him. Like her push did much.

Neon raised his hands. "Am I wrong? I got six inches and a hundred pounds on you, Squirt." Cavalry unsheathed a knife strapped to her wrists.

"And I've got the sharp object." She lazily pointed the knife at his exposed throat, the only piece of copper flesh visible under the bodysuit and armor. Neon laughed as she put the knife away.

"Yeah. Sharp enough to cut butter maybe." He sassed.

"Sharp enough to cut you then." She poked him in the sides. Neon snickered at the bad joke. He took his bucket off and pulled out his thermos, taking a drink of the lukewarm water before offering Cav the bottle. She removed her own helmet, growling slightly as her messy hair fell out of its braid. She took a drink and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand roughly.

"I'm two seconds away from just hacking this all off." She growled, wincing at the tangled mess as she finger combed through it and rebraided it around her head. Neon sighed and pulled a small rubber band out of his holster.

"Don't cut it off. It looks nice. You're the only clone in the army who can have it longer than their chin, be proud of it." He admonished, tying the end of her braid for her.

Cavalry rolled her eyes and jammed her helmet back on. She passed Neon back his canteen and stretched, her already sore muscles complaining a bit. She noted absently that she had a cramp in her left shoulder.

Their moment of rest was interrupted by a yell from a scout roughly thirty meters away. The yell became a broken off scream as he crumpled to the ground, an Umbaran blaster bolt cutting cleanly through his armor. A small scorpion like thing scuttled through the trenches. Cav paid it no mind at first, until it stung a trooper near by and continued on towards her. The trooper screamed as electricity crawled across his body.

Cavalry had her blaster out and was firing at the thing, but she couldn't hit it. She fell backward and scrambled away on all fours as it scuttled towards her. Until Neon stepped on it and it squished under his boot, fluorescent blue slime spreading out from under his boot in a smoking puddle.

He quickly moved his foot and scraped off the blue acid on the ground, offering Cavalry a hand.

"Thanks." She panted. Neon shrugged.

"That's what big brothers are for, right? Stepping on spiders or... acidic electro scorpions?" He made a face at the slime puddle, scooping up his helmet and offering Cavalry a hand hat she took. He helped her up out of the ditch.

"I'm guessing that's our cue to leave." She grumbled, the two of them falling into rank as they abandoned that trench and pushed forward. The whine of gunships could be heard over the din of blasterfire as clones and Umbarans alike opened fire. Cavalry slid into cover and popped off a few shots before the gunships made a low dive, releasing their payload over the trench they were just in.

"Good ol' Oddball, always on target." An older clone with a republic cog on his helmet muttered next to them. Jesse, as Cavalry recalled.

They continued their march to a small clearing, where a gunship set down in front of them. A tall Bezalisk stepped out and greeted General Skywalker. The two of them exchanged words that Cavalry didn't hear, and General Skywalker stepped into the gunship, which left them alone with the Bezalisk shortly there after.

Captain Rex fell a customary half step behind the Bezalisk, who instantly snapped at him sharply. Cavalry moved a bit so see what was going on.

"Listen up." The Bezalisk said. "I am general Pong Krell. I will be taking over for General Skywalker in the interim as he attends to matters on Corascant."

Fives was beside Rex, his bucket tucked under his arm.

"You will stand at attention while I address you." General Krell snapped. Cavalry, along with the rest of the gathered 501st, instinctively stiffened to attention. "That is all. Dismissed."

Cavalry pressed her lips together as she moved to parade rest and fell in line. So Skywalker was the oddball among the generals. At least she was prepared to follow orders like Krell wanted.

She shivered. She kept her thoughts to herself, but if she was being honest? She prefered Skywalker.