General in Training [ Star Wars ]

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Humming to herself, Riona was cleaning a table in the mess, the younger cadets messier than she'd like to admit. Wiping down the table, she'd offered a smile to the boys. "Let's start working on keeping our heads over our plates, yeah? You're training to be soldiers, not Gamorreans."

"Sorry, sir. We'll try to remember next time." He gave a shy smile, the rest of his squad nodding in agreement. Reaching over, she'd gently ruffled his hair. "That's all I ask, baby. Now, you boys should be off to bed. It's gonna get late soon."

"Yes, sir." "Are you gonna come by our barracks tonight?" "If I can find the time before you're all asleep, I will. But don't wait up for me, okay? I can't make any promises this time, I've got important things to attend to." She hummed, keeping a light tone as she spoke. It had become a habit for the woman to enter the younger cadets' barracks a couple of times a week, having wanted to get to know them before they aged up into her training group. Although, it had quickly turned into Riona telling them stories of her time as a padawan until they'd all fallen asleep.

Once the mess hall had mostly cleared out, she'd begun to deep clean the area, ignoring the looks she was getting from the cadets around her. She didn't do this often, but when she did, she made sure she was doing it right. After a moment of scrubbing the table with cleaner and a towel, she'd felt a presence behind her. "What are you doing? That's not your job."

"Well, it was a mess, so I figured I'd get it cleaned up. Besides, you shouldn't have to do this all on your own, Ninety-nine." As she moved to spray more cleaner, the man had gently taken the bottle from her, causing her to look up into his kind eyes. "It's my job, mistress Orion. Yours is to train my brothers, not do mine."

"I know, but sometimes it's good to have help." She smiled softly, standing upright. "Plus, I don't get to see you as much anymore. I've been too busy."

He'd taken a moment to stop and think, looking over the woman's face for any sign of tiredness. When he didn't see it, he'd given in, rather enjoying the woman's company. "Alright, but you don't have to work at my pace."

"I promise I won't." She hummed, hiding her amusement as the two set out to clean the mess hall. They'd talked and joked as they worked, the occasional cadet joining in on the conversation upon hearing them go through a giggle fit. As the evening went on they'd finished the job, the woman stretching her now sore back and letting out a yawn.

"Time for bed, I see." Ninety-nine smiled softly, putting away their cleaning supplies. Gently taking a few from him, she'd began to help put the supplies away. "Not yet, no. I promised some of the younger cadets I'd stop by their barracks."

"Now that you're here, I'd say that the clones are being spoilt."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I wouldn't say so."

——»»»»☆««««——

Riona stood with Bric and El-Les, waiting in the hangar for the ARC troopers to arrive. The plan was to get them landed and comfortable before introducing them to the squadrons, the woman honestly worried about her Dominos. No matter what she did or how hard she tried, she couldn't get them to focus long enough and get along.

"Did you train these men, too?" El-Les asked, bringing the woman out of her thoughts as a ship landed in the hangar. Looking up, she couldn't help but smile a little. "No, these troopers graduated long before my time on Kamino. But, I have fought alongside them, and I attended the ceremony where they were promoted to ARC troopers. One of these men actually saved my life, during the battle of Geonosis."

"How do you know he's here?"

"His presence in the force, it's one I will never forget. It's strong, like the winds on Tatooine during a sand storm, and comforting like the sounds of the rivers flowing through the forests of Kashyyyk. Warm, even, as the morning sun on Pamarthe when the skies are clear." Her voice was soft as she spoke, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Just the thought of the trooper caused her muscles to relax, and seeing him again after so long apart nearly made her heart skip. "He and I spent time together while on Geonosis, and we fought well with each other, moving in perfect sync. After that, we'd gone on a few missions together and were successful. I believe that if I hadn't been assigned to train the cadets, he and I would have lead a battalion together."