The Clones & Their Vod'ika

No Respect, New Respect

So this is from a different POV. It's still about Ahsoka; more like a trooper's opinion of her. (You might remember this trooper from the previous chapter ehehe)

Click was a simple trooper. Follow orders you are given from the respected higher-ups, survive, and have a break. When he heard about the famed five-oh-first legion getting a teenager as a commander, he was disgusted. She doesn't have the experience, and she is young, which would make her arrogant and abuse her power. Soon more stories spread throughout the troopers about the famed togruta.

"I heard that she fought for our rights for when we live after the war!"

"I heard that Commander Cody called her 'vod'ika' even though she's not a clone!"

Click heard these comments and promptly ignored them. He could see through the lies, see through the deception that the upstart Jedi planted throughout the army. One day, news of her failure came in. Whispers were scattered throughout Kamino, and he was curious to know what they were talking about. He had passed a small group of clones that were going to be shipped off soon, and he heard their chatter.

"She led a squadron to death!"

He stopped in his steps, joining the group. He didn't really talk to Whisper, Riptide, and Shooter, but they all knew each other well enough to be comfortable.

"Can you repeat that?" Click asked.

They did, and Click knew he had been right this whole time. He told his batchmate Flicker about it, and Flicker believed him but he also told him that people made mistakes. Well, the Kaminoans told them these mysterious Jedi were their commanding officers. It shouldn't be a kid in training, it should be a fully-fledged warrior, always ready to lead them into war.

~

He and Flicker were there when the attack on Kamino commenced. They were just cadets, and he and Flicker in the aftermath of it had to split up from their original batch since the army was spread thin. They weren't sure where they would be placed, only that they would be together. The pair were sad from separating with the others but remembering how the older troopers fought so skillfully made them wonder which legion they were from. So Click asked.

He came back with the answer of the five-oh-first legion. The same legion that had the bratty commander. Click immediately wanted nothing to do with the legion, and yet, from what every single trooper heard on Kamino, the five-oh-first was one of the top five everyone wants to be put in. After all, the five-oh-first was said to have the least casualties and the most fun. Turns out his luck landed him and Flicker with the boys in blue.

~

A few weeks in the five-oh-first, Flicker had come back to the barracks one night looking very worried. Click stood up from his bed, still awake from that night's Sabacc game. He spotted the togruta commander and was one of the few shinies that exited the mess hall, not wanting to come face to face with a mysterious Jedi in person. Flicker explained how he mentioned Ryloth, starting a whole chain of reactions from the other higher ranking troopers.

So they're protective of her. How did she earn their respect?

His question stayed in his head for the rest of the night.

~

The next week, Flicker was much happier than his sulky self. Click wondered what changed. Flicker told him.

"You know, Commander Tano is actually much better than the rumors say. You should talk to her sometime."

Clicks brows furrowed at the sudden change in opinion. He turned to his vode, looking him straight in the eye to see any signs of a Jedi mind trick. He didn't find any.

~

Now, he was on the battlefield, his first battle fighting alongside Commander Tano. In the last couple of fights, he was with General Skywalker, his skills needed elsewhere. So far, he didn't see anything wrong. Just mediocre plans and mediocre skills. She was definitely a sight to see, her dual-wielding blades making her a tornado of yellow and green, but compared to the rumors, she still seemed inferior to what the Jedi are.

He heard whistling in the air and turned just in time to be sent flying out of the wave of destruction. He forced his eyes to open and attempted to sit up. He saw a blurry orange figure with blue and white headtails holding an explosion back, the debris never touching him or the others. His eyes widened at the sight of the commander, the one he had been bad-mouthing ever since he heard about her, holding back an explosion by using herself as a shield to save clones that were meant to die in war. She had scratches from the damage she was trying to hold back, her arms visibly shaking from the effort. She suddenly pushed back, the fire speeding towards the direction of the enemy. She swayed on her feet and Click's feet went on autopilot, running to steady her even in the midst of the battle. He saw the captain running towards them, still shooting at the droids that were aiming at him and the commander.

"I'll take it from here trooper."

He let go of her and her eyes shone with gratitude before being led away by Rex. She earned some of his respect right then and there. Sacrificing herself for people meant to die wasn't something everyone would do, but she did.

~

He thought about the commander's actions he laid in bed that night, his arms crossed behind his head.

Commander Tano cared for her soldiers, and although she was young, he had to admit; she was smart and skilled for a teenager thrown into a war. Those two words should never be in the same sentences. Sure, the troopers were teenagers too, but they were trained ever since they came into the galaxy.

She was still annoying, acting like a child and pranking everybody with the ARC -Trooper Fives or Hardcase, and on some occasions, going solo. But in war, you need small fun things in life to live sanely. So, he introduced himself, hoping to be on good terms with the people he'd probably be living with for the rest of his short life.

That was the spark of a new friendship.

Two updates in a day? Yes. I hope you enjoyed it!