Star Wars The Clone Wars: M.I.A. On a Lost Planet#Wattys2016

14

"Did you make contact with the fleet?" asked Mako as he entered the cockpit.  

Calso looked up and answered, "Yessir, they are expecting us and will be prepared for Vire as well.  They said that they will-,"

"No need to worry about Vire, there's no such person," Mako interjected, cutting off the ARC trooper.

   "I'm not following you, Mako," said Calso.

Mako gave an understanding look and said, "All will be explained soon." 

Calso nodded.

Mako turned and called behind him, "I'm going into the cabin."

Crash flicked up a few switches to stabilize the hyperdrive again, "Yessir, I'll tell you when we exit hyperspace."

Mako left.

In moments he was once again in the cabin, where Kael was helping the Commander up.  She had just woken up after about twenty minutes of unconsciousness and was slightly disoriented.  

   "Kael, how's the Commander?" Mako inquired, taking a seat.  Hotshot looked at him with a confused look then resumed staring at the ground.  She was still dressed in the bounty hunter outfit, but now without her helmet, the one barrier that had kept him from recognizing her from the beginning.  Also, she seemed to not know whom he was talking about when he mentioned the Commander or Hotshot, and Mako didn't blame her.

"Still no memory of herself other than Vire, but she's conscious again," said Kael and removed his helmet, placing it on the seat next to him.

   Mako pulled a small device off his belt saying, "I think I can help with the memory loss."

"Go ahead, Sir," said Kael.  He had never asked Mako about why he said her or she when referring to the Commander, but now he knew, Clone Commander Hotshot was a woman, a female clone trooper.  Mako nodded and placed the device on the small table that was centered between the rows of seats, standard ship arrangement.

   "Vire?  I need your attention,"

"What?" she asked, looking up at him.

Mako pulled up an image on the device, and image of Commander Hotshot. The blue holo profile picture was almost a mirror image of the other clones faces, but the sharp features were just ever so slightly softer, and her hair was longer, pulled into a low bun like the one she was wearing right now. Her dark eyebrows arched in the same way Kael's, Mako's, Crash's and every other troopers did, only higher and thinner.

While Kael noted all of this, Mako asked, "Do you know who this woman is?"

   Vire shrugged and answered, "Sure." 

Kael watched the two, silent.

"Do you remember anything about her?" 

For a long moment both sat there looking at the information, the former Vire silent, until she finally looked up, new determination in her sharp, dark brown eyes and answered, "Sergeant Mako, I have half a mind to have you demoted!"

All those regrets freshly in his mind Mako nodded humbly, "I can understand that."

   Reaching across the table and grabbing the comalink, clipping it to her own belt, Commander Hotshot, formerly Vire, scolded Mako, "Next time be more careful about who you accuse of what." 

Mako looked a bit sheepish but took the order to heart and gave a short nod. Kael watched as Hotshot kept her careful gaze on Mako, and now, without the confused expression on her face, he easily recognized the woman in the picture, all of the strength, intellect and power visible as she reprimanded the clone Sergeant.