The Clone Wars One Shots

Elite Part 2

You had lost track of how long you had been a member of the elite squad. The days seemed to blur together, with every mission pushing the limits of your squadron. New challenges forced you to disobey orders, instead using curious and unorthodox tactics just to stay alive. That was fine with you. You had never been much of a stickler for the rules.

Your flirty squad mate, ES-03, had become far more forward with you, and more persistent in his advances. You tried to ignore him and made sure to throw in an extra punch during training, but unfortunately, he seemed to think you were just playing hard to get, and refused to leave you be.

Usually, though, you weren't alone, and very rarely had to face ES-03 one-on-one. Your interactions with him were rare to begin with, given how busy the two of you often were, but facing him alone was even rarer. You rarely worked together, and when you did, another one of your squad mates was always around. The presence of others was usually enough to keep ES-03 from trying anything.

Aside from the unwelcome advances, the rest of your squad didn't like you very much. They had grown jealous of your fighting skill and how quickly you had gained the favor of several higher ups, but you couldn't care less. Sure, a friend would have been nice, but you had more important things to take care of. With a family to feed and missions streaming in with very little notice, time with any potential friends off the battlefield was rare. Not that the majority of candidates were all that present, anyways.

Thankfully, you weren't completely alone.

Among the higher ups who were impressed by you was Crosshair. Though he didn't always show his pride in you, Admiral Rampart had once told you that the Commander spoke very highly of you, and that he trusted you to always complete your tasks. He had even recommended you for solo missions, should the need arise.

Over the past few months, you had developed something of a friendship with your Commander. Crosshair claimed he didn't need friends (something about they disappointed him), but you said otherwise. He would call you comrades, whereas you considered him your only friend.

You had mutual respect for one another, and were the other's first choice of companionship, but, given your roles in the Empire, it was difficult to develop a true relationship. That was fine with both of you. Not ideal, but fine.

Crosshair had selected you to become his unofficial second in command. In the very rare cases when he needed guidance, he looked to you, and was more willing to work with you than anyone else in the elite squad. Sometimes it felt like the two of you were the only people in the galaxy, and, miraculously, you didn't mind at all.

Your life was finally looking up. With a meaningful job that you were genuinely good at, you could provide for your family back on Coruscant without issue. You made regular visits whenever you happened to land on the bustling planet, but still didn't see them that much. You missed your siblings often, but whenever you spent too long with them, that feeling quickly vanished. The five young hybrids were a handful.

But, of course, there was a bad side to everything.

Since you spent nearly every waking moment with the elite squad, you felt as though you had known them forever. You rarely got along, and while your three teammates had each other for support, all you had was Crosshair, who wasn't exactly known for being all that cuddly. Despite this, the time you spent with him made an impact on you, and not in a way you expected.

Somewhere along the line, the aloof marksman that lead your group had clawed his way into your heart, and he wasn't leaving any time soon.

You weren't completely sure what you saw in him, to be perfectly honest. He was smart, skilled and handsome, yes, and could be quite sweet in a strange and sarcastic way when he tried, but you figured the fact that he obviously didn't feel the same would have been enough to drive you away. He never opened up, never spoke of his brothers, and didn't hold much respect for others. Though he had clarified otherwise, you still believed that disrespect applied to you as well. At least partially. Crosshair had always been a loner, after all, and trusted his own abilities over those of anyone else.