Found A New Padawan

The Curse of Felucia

Ok, so here's the next chap! Sorry about the delay, work has just been exhausting bc of the holidays. So it's just sorta drained me. As you might have seen in 'Song Of The People', I posted only a short chap bc of it. But I hope you guys enjoy this new chap! Also, this was inspired by an rp scene. I hope you guys enjoy it!
Ikoe couldn't believe that she was back on Felucia. The whole planet left a bad taste in her mouth. It seems that no matter the reason for being on the planet something bad happens. She couldn't understand why the Republic and CIS were fighting so hard for the planet since it didn't seem like there was anything important from it. She could understand saving the natives of Felucia, but why did the CIS fight so hard to take control of the planet?
No matter how much she wanted to ask, she didn't.
She simply followed Obi-Wan's lead and fought to push back the Separatist army.
The Separatist army that she couldn't even keep count of the times they'd fought to push off the planet. Ikoe would love for them to finally give up on the blasted planet. At the moment, they were resting after a particularly grueling battle. Blue was walking through the men, whispering softly to each one before moving on to the next like several other vod. Cody was speaking with Obi-Wan in the tent they set up Command to be in.
As she looked around, she saw Blue's batchmate Spark talking with some shinies, Data, Will, Cross, and Cuyan. The four were shaken up and she couldn't blame them. That was their first long siege. They haven't had the time to get used to how taxing it could be. But they also were dealing with death. They've been lucky so far in that none in their squad has been killed yet, but that could change at any moment. Data and Will were batchmates, their brothers pulled into a different battalion. Cross and Cuyan however were completely alone. Their batches separated completely into different battalions across the galaxy.
Soon enough, it was time to plan their attack and Ikoe could only frown at the map. "General, I suggest we send a recon team ahead to gather more intel about the base," Blue suggested and Obi-Wan hummed as he stroked his beard in thought.
"I agree. However, our last recon team never returned," Obi-Wan pointed out, and dread filled Ikoe. She knew of the men on the recon team that had been sent out. Moon. As an ARC he had volunteered to lead the team which consisted of a radio trooper, and a couple of stealth operatives. They had gotten the warning to them but then went silent. She had been getting close to Moon with Blue singing the man's praises. But it seemed that this time, he couldn't save himself.
"I know. But we have to risk it if we want to know what we're up against," Blue replied and Obi-Wan nodded slowly.
"Of course. This cliff here," Obi-Wan began, pointing to a cliff face, "is about 300 meters from their base. We can send the team there. Since it overlooks the Separatist base, we should be able to see droid patrols, layout, and weapons."
"I think that could work, sir," Blue said, looking at the spot intently. "I have just the men for the job," he continued and Obi-Wan nodded.
"Go get them," Obi-Wan said and Blue gave a short nod and salute before leaving the tent. Moving quickly, Blue found Rollo and his men and instructed them to get to the Command Tent.
After that, he looked over the camp before his gaze landed on Cross. "Cross, I've got a mission for you," Blue called and the five looked over at him.
"Blue?" Spark asked and Blue smiled at his batchmate.
"Cross is a marksman, I think this would be a good experience for him," Blue said and the group nodded.
"Alright, sir," Cross said, pushing himself up and following after Blue. Reaching the tent, he saw a squad of three already inside with Commanders Cody and Ikoe and General Kenobi standing around a holotable.
"Ah, good. Now, Captain, will you do the honors?" Obi-Wan asked and Blue nodded as he stepped forward and turned the map for them to look at a cliff face.
"As you four know, there's a Separatist Base nearby that we need to take down," he began and the four nodded. "Now, we don't know much about what's inside the base. This is where you come in. This cliff face overlooks the whole Separatist Base. I want you to go there and gather as much intel as you can about this base. Their patrols, the layout, the weapons. We need an edge over the droids that we currently don't have. If we attack now, we're going in blind. Do you understand?" he asked and felt a small smile grow at watching Cross nod. Two of the men from the other squad also nodded slowly while the final man, Rollo, didn't.
"With all due respect sir, that's more than a three-kilometer walk. Surely the men could assemble nearby so that we don't waste valuable time," Rollo suggested and Blue frowned at that.
"No, that is not the plan, Corporal Rollo. We don't know what it's like there. They could have patrols of droids looking for large groups of troopers gathering. And we wouldn't know. I will not let these men be killed by revealing ourselves too soon. This is why I'm having a small squad go and figure out everything they can. Two marksmen that can easily see into the base with another two for protection. I will not needlessly risk their lives by planning an assault next to an enemy base. Do I make myself clear?" he ordered, watching Rollo's jaw clench briefly before he nodded.
"Yes, Captain," Rollo ground out and Blue huffed out of his nose before looking at the others in the tent.
"Good. Now, I've sent the coordinates to your HUDs. Once you reach it, I want you to get in touch and radio everything you see," Blue instructed and the four nodded once more. "I know you can do this. Best of luck," Blue said before watching the men head out to gather some supplies before leaving.
"Is that normal, Blue?" Ikoe asked softly and the group turned to look at her.
"Corporal Rollo has been....a problem. He had been a Captain but got demoted to Sergeant, then demoted again to Corporal," Blue explained and Ikoe made a face.
"He was demoted? Why?" she asked, looking between the three as they all sighed.
"He made bad calls several times that resulted in high casualties. The high casualties were from battles that we barely scraped by to win or from unintentional battles. We had to punish him and it seems he still thinks like he's a Captain," Cody explained with a shake of his head and Ikoe had to wince at that.
"Exactly. Hopefully, we can get through this battle without any complications from him," Blue sighed, glancing over at Ikoe when she patted his arm and simply smiled.
XXXXXX
Cross trusted Blue. He did, really.
But he didn't know if he trusted Rollo.
Rollo had argued about the plan even though it had sound reasoning and was annoyed by it? He was confused and didn't like that. Rollo's two men, Try and Flick kept switching around on how they felt about it. With his squad, they all trusted each other and stood behind each other. They stood behind the Captain. The Captain who was being questioned by Rollo who acted like he was the same rank as Blue but wasn't.
He was a corporal and Blue was a captain.
So why was he acting like he could change the plan?
He didn't ask.
He just marched with the men around him who were muttering under their breaths. Over halfway there, after Trey tripped and cursed and they finally went silent, they heard some mumbling.
"Do you think-?" Cross began but Rollo hushed them. They instead went forward carefully and soon saw leaning in the trees fellow vod. "Moon!" Cross gasped out and rushed forward to Moon who was slumped against a tree, his lips moving in soft words as his foot nudged his companion.
"N-Neal, c'mon. Talk to me," Moon said softly grunting as he nudged Neal again, his breath heavy. Cross felt sick as he looked at the shot wounds on Moon's side. They were bleeding sluggishly and Moon looked incredibly pale. Like he's been there for a while trying to keep someone else awake. Reaching down to Neal, Cross pressed his fingers onto Neal's neck to feel for a pulse and slumped when he felt none and instead turned to Moon once more. Pulling out some bandages, Cross started to pack the wound.
"I'm sorry, Moon. Neal's gone," Cross said softly and Moon shook his head.
"N-no. He was-he was just talking. Ne-Neal was talk'n to me," Moon denied, his speech slowly slurring. "'ust talk'n."
"He's gone, Moon. He must have lost too much blood. There was nothing you could do," Cross said and watched as Moon seemingly slumped more, his eyes glistening.
"N-o, nononono-he-he can't, 'e jus-he was just-!" Moon gasped out, tears finally falling as Cross finished wrapping the bandage around his wound.
"I'm sorry, Moon. There was nothing else you could have done," Cross whispered, finally looking around to see what had happened. The other two men were a bit farther into the forest. One was against a plant that was tilted like he had been thrown hard and died on impact. The other was under a collapsed plant, but they could sort of see blaster marks on his body. Their blasters littered the ground. Some simply dropped, a couple scorched from being hit, and one appeared to have been thrown aside like it had jammed. The rope dart Ikoe had given to Moon was tangled around Moon's feet, the piercing end bent and broken into pieces.
But there were no enemies around them.
It was like they were taken by surprise and Moon was only alive through sheer luck of whoever not realizing to check. "Base, this is the recon team. We made it over halfway and we found the original recon team," Cross said and the only thing heard was the sharp inhales from several people.
"This is Captain Blue, we hear you. How are they?" Blue asked, even through the comms, they could tell he was worried.
"Moon is the only survivor. But he needs medical attention now," Cross replied.
"Send us the location and I'll head over with the medics," Blue ordered, and Cross quickly sent their coordinates. "Now, one of you should stay with Moon until we get their to make sure he doesn't get attacked or fall asleep."
"Got it, sir," Cross said and the comm cut off. Looking up at the three, Cross watched as Rollo stood there stiffly before looking between them.
"Trey, stay here and protect the ARC trooper," Rollo ordered and Trey nodded. "We should get moving."
Leaving Moon behind was hard, but they still had a mission to do. He had to trust that Trey would protect and keep Moon alive until Blue and the medics arrived. Soon enough they reached the cliff face and climbed up to the top. Getting into position with his rifle, Cross looked around the base with a scowl. "Base, we've reached the cliff face and are now observing the Separatist's base," Rollo reported.
"Good. What do you see?" Cody asked and Cross grunted.
"Droid reinforcements already arrived," Cross reported as he looked around the perimeter while Rollo looked at the weapons. "The border patrols are small. We'll need longer to figure out how often they patrol."
"Got it," Blue said and Cross hid his surprise well at hearing the Captain, having thought he'd be focused on Moon.
"They have what appears to be an automatic cannon in the middle of the base. On the North and South walls are turrets," Rollo reported gruffly.
"Got it. Any prominent features we should be aware of?" Blue asked then.
"This base is surrounded by cliffs," Rollo reported and waited a moment before asking his question. "We're awaiting orders, sir. Is the rest of the platoon coming for the assault, sir?" Rollo asked and Cross could just barely make out the sound that Blue made.
"No, not yet. We first have to come up with a plan based on what you've told us, Corporal," Blue said, his tone annoyed.
"Sir, I believe the cliffs that surround the base could offer some opportunities. Maybe either a sniper or anti-air troopers could cause some chaos. Give the clankers something to worry about and while they're scrambling, the larger force attacks," Cross suggested, looking at the cliffs intently as he spoke.
"Send the coordinates for the locations you think would work best, Cross. We'll see if it makes any sense," Blue said and Cross made a pleased sound as he took down the coordination for a few places that stood out to him. Places that seemed would hide the troopers from view but give the troopers the best chance of hitting the droids. "Got them. We'll get back to you soon." With that, the comm cut off, and Cross continued to watch the base, counting the minutes as he waited for another patrol.
Beside him, Cross listened silently as Rollo grumbled to himself. He could admit to himself that he couldn't wait for this mission to be over. He wanted to be back with Will, Data, and Cuyan. His brothers who cared for each other even as they argued when tensions got high. They trusted Blue's experience to give them the best chance. He's worked with Rollo before, but he would have thought the man would trust Blue's judgment. But he didn't.
Cross didn't like that.
"Team," Blue's voice called out and through the comm, they heard the sound of things being packed. "We've got a plan to take down the base and we're packing up to head out. We're sending three, three-man teams up to the coordinates Cross sent us. While they distract the droids, the rest of the men will attack the East and West gates of the base. I want you observing that base until we get there. See if you can figure out their patrol times. Once we do, you can join back up with us and wait for the signal to attack. Got it?" Blue explained.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Cross and Flick replied.
"Sir keep in mind we did not scale the area between us and the Seppy base, The Autocannon is our priority, the thing being a turret. The West and East side seems probable for a Successful entry, that is if they don't get shredded first...Maybe Mortars can be effective," Rollo said and Cross could only imagine the frown Blue would no doubt be wearing.
"I've got a plan for them, Rollo. Just because I did not alert you to it, does not mean we don't have a plan. But since you're so eager to know, the three three-man teams are going to be taking care of those turrets and cannon. I have no doubt that those spots that Cross found will be perfect for taking care of them," Blue replied icily.
"Taking a shiny's word over mine? Bah, Alright...You better know what you're doing Captain, but I trust you" Rollo replied, and Cross's jaw hurt from how hard he gnashed his teeth together to keep silent. He hated how Rollo disrespected the Captain, him. Sure he was a shiny, he's heard older troopers calling him that, but he had thought of a solid plan and the Captain agreed. Blue agreed with him. Yet Rollo, the man who questioned and argued with Blue, thought that the Captain should trust him instead. A muffled thud and curse from Will had Cross wondering what had happened.
"Rollo, I don't like that tone. Cross provided a good suggestion and upon looking at the coordinates, I felt he made a good suggestion for taking out that heavy artillery. If you don't like it, take it up with me personally, AFTER the battle," Blue said and Cross had to wonder what the man was thinking since his tone booked no arguments.
"Sir, I mean no disrespect, But if you say so. We should focus on the matter at hand. We must recommend the team to bring Mine detectors since the fields between us haven't been covered or secured, we would be looking out for Droid patrols but the Flora is covering everything up," Rollo said, not even trying to be subtle.
"How would you suggest we search the terrain without being spotted? From our intelligence, they haven't put mines out before so I have no reason to believe they'd do it now," he replied with a sigh. "Is there any indication that the ground has been tampered with?"
"Sir, I am trying to be rational with this. I stated the ground between us and the Seppy base has not been secured by us as of now. Meaning to say we do not know what could be lying there as the forest of Felucia covers them up so much we cannot tell. There are possible Patrol droids considering the bodies," Rollo replied harshly.
"Corporal Rollo, I am having a hard time believing you when you say you are intending no disrespect. This is boarding the line of insubordination and that gets men killed during an active mission. Do you understand? I have a plan for taking out those heavy artillery and that will grant us the opportunity to check the ground. Any active droid patrols will be dealt with if found. But we cannot, and I will not put the men at risk to do a mine sweep that will put us in the open air and will lose us the element of surprise. Do you understand?" Blue barked out as he got within meters of the droid base.
"Sir, yes, sir," Rollo ground out.
"Now. Cross, your squadmates, Data and Will, will be joining you on a nearby ridge. Rollo, you and Flick are to be by my side for this battle. Once this battle is over, we will be having words with the Commander and General," Blue ordered.
"Moving now, sir," Cross called out, slipping his rifle onto his back as he pushed to his feet. Getting the coordinates, Cross headed off eagerly, not wanting to stay a moment longer with the angry Corporal.
Blue could only share a look with his batchmate and Cody. Both were unimpressed by how Rollo was reacting and wondered if they would need to take action about it. But they couldn't think about that, they had the battle to focus on. Blue watched as Cody took half the men and followed after Obi-Wan to head to the West gate while he and Ikoe got ready to hit the East gate. Soon, the teams were reporting that they were in position with Cross confirming his brothers were with him and they were at the new, closer, vantage point. Rollo had soon appeared and Blue had no doubt that the man was scowling under his bucket. "You're staying by my side the whole time, Rollo," Blue reminded and Rollo simply nodded.
Rollo was angry.
First Blue had listened to a shiny over him, and now, he was being treated like a rowdy insubordinate. It ticked him off. He hadn't done anything wrong. He wasn't a shiny. He was a soldier with more experience than that shiny Cross. He had been a Captain right alongside Blue. He may have been demoted, but he didn't deserve that.
While he was fuming, Ikoe looked over at him worriedly. She could feel his anger and was worried.
"Ready!" Blue ordered once everyone was in position. "Fire!" he shouted and they watched as rockets flew across the sky and destroyed the turrets and autocannon. Droid poppers were soon flying and the sound of sniper rifles firing filled the air. "Go! Go! Go!" he shouted as he rushed forward with the men following seconds after. Blue was grim as he shot the droids coming out of the base. With Rollo at his side, Blue was wary, he didn't know if he could trust the man after everything. But he at least had Spark and Cuyan at his side which eased some worry.
Ikoe was at the front, her lightsaber a blur around and her mother's buy'ce on, no doubt listening to the men over the comms. The sound of battle was deafening, and Blue could only grunt in frustration as one of his blasters jammed. Chucking it at the droid, he watched in satisfaction as it stumbled back and was hit by a droid popper. Rushing toward the next droid, Blue kicked it onto its back and shot a round of bolts into it before turning to look at the next droid coming at him.
Diving to the side as it raised its own blasters he watched in shock as it went toward Rollo. "Rollo!" Blue shouted out in warning and everything seemed to slow down for Blue at that moment. Spark turned to see Rollo in the line of fire and shoved him aside, taking the bolt to the chest. Spark didn't make a sound as he fell to the ground. But to Blue, it felt like the sound of that bolt hitting his chest boomed in his ears. The sound of armor plates clacking together before hitting the earth seemed to roar in his ears. "Spark!" he couldn't help but shout and watched as Rollo stared at Spark in shock from his spot on the ground.
Everything around him seemed to fall away for that moment. The sounds of battle and bolts firing just seemed to go away as only his breathing could be heard for him. He felt off-kilter at that second. Like everything he knew was stripped away from him. But then, a burning filled his veins, and an itch to attack built. He didn't hesitate a moment as he roared out his rage and despair as he took down the droid that killed Spark. The pressure of tears building didn't stop Blue as he continued fighting, didn't stop him as a few tears escaped and trailed down his cheeks. That was until he turned to see Cuyan gasping for breath behind him and the fight left him.
"Cuyan! Breathe with me, Cuyan," Blue ordered, moving to kneel in front of Cuyan, blocking his view of Spark.
"I-he-I!" Cuyan gasped out, his breath catching in his throat. He could only gasp for air that didn't come to him. And Blue couldn't blame him. He wanted to scream and sob and fight. But not now. Not when his vod'ika needed him more. His vod'ika who hasn't learned how to block things out. Who never had a brother die right next to him. He wanted to break down but couldn't. And he had to teach that same lesson to Cuyan.
"You need to breathe, Cuyan. Follow my breaths," Blue ordered, grabbing one of Cuyan's hands and pressing it to his chest as he took a deep breath. He could only watch as Cuyan struggled to follow, but with each ragged breath, he slowly started matching his breaths. "I know this is hard, but you need to keep moving. You can't let their death stop you, you have to keep fighting. Make their death mean something."
"H-he's dead. Y-you're batchmate-dead-" Cuyan gasped out and Blue nodded sadly.
"My batchmate is dead but he would want me to keep fighting. To make his death mean something. I'll always regret not being able to save him, but I won't let that consume me. I will take this and be better, just as he would want me. Just as he would want you to," Blue said and watched, pride building in him, as Cuyan nodded slowly in understanding. "Good," he continued, tapping Cuyan's helmet before turning around and shooting at a droid coming at him when another vod shouted a warning.
The heavy gunner nodded and started shooting once more, determined to follow Blue's lead. He could tell that Blue wanted to break down just as much as he did but didn't. Because he had a duty to the men he led and he wouldn't put them at risk. He pushed his grief aside the second he saw someone needed him. He remembered what he promised and he was going to continue that promise. And Cuyan was going to follow that lead. He would push his grief aside. They could break once the battle was over and the base secured.
"Captain!" Rollo's shout startled Blue and he turned around to see a B2 battle droid coming at him. Right as the droid fired, Rollo jumped in front and Blue could only let out a wordless shout as Rollo grunted.
"Rollo!" Blue shouted, catching the man and lowering him to the ground as Cuyan stood above and shot the droid dead. "Why?" he asked softly, pulling Rollo's helmet off before roughly pulling his own off.
"B-because. The-the men need you....more-more than th-they need me. I-I'm sorry," Rollo croaked out before his eyes slipped shut. Blue could only clench his jaw as Rollo fell limp in his arms.
He slowly lowered Rollo back onto the ground and stood up, watching as the battle continued but slowly wound down. The buzz of lightsabers filled his ears and he looked up to see Obi-Wan and Ikoe working together to finish off the final droids around them. Blue's grip tightened around his remaining blaster and raised it at a droid and shot it down.
The rest of the battle went by in a blur for Blue. All too soon the battle was over and he was listless. Blue had the want to finally break down but he shoved it aside. He still had brothers to help. Going through the motions, he weaved through his men, whispering soft words to them even as he became numb to the world around him. Words formed and left his mind as he tried to figure out how to break the news of Spark's death to their remaining two batchmates in the 312th. They finally had some good news...they were under General Iri finally...and now they get to hear that Spark was killed.
That Spark died to save a man who just threw his own life away to save him.
"Vod?" Cody asked softly and Blue looked over at him before turning back to the men and watching as they covered the dead before beginning to dig graves.
"Later," Blue whispered, his voice threatening to crack.
"We can bury Spark first if you want," Cody offered and Blue shook his head at that.
"No. I need to be there for the men. I don't think I'll be able to help once we bury Spark," Blue admitted softly and Cody nodded.
"Of course, vod. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me," Cody said, clapping Blue on the shoulder and squeezing it. The burials of brothers were a haze of soft words, hugs, and throwing dirt. He hugged many brothers who whispered their soft words to him about Spark. He watched as Neal, Marker, and Kot's bodies were brought over to be buried next. With Jay's help, Moon was brought over to be able to oversee their burial and say some more soft words. Soft, guilt-riddled words were said by Moon who broke down at not even keeping Neal alive long enough for help to arrive. Blue wanted to say something, but could only watch as the three's batchmates went over to Moon and whispered soft words only for him before leading him back to the medical tent set up.
Standing over Rollo's grave, the familiar rage filled him. He was why Spark was dead. Spark died to save his life but he still ended up dead. Rollo argued about every decision he made and Spark died saving him. But it was for nothing. Rollo threw his own life away. Rollo could have shot the droid or tackled it or something. Anything else but diving in front of him and taking the shot.
He was angry and hurt and so many other things. But he was also numb. He didn't even notice Ikoe coming up and pushing herself into his side and squeezing him tight as Cody led the burial with soft words about the man saving his life. He didn't even realize they moved graves until he noticed Spark being put down and the walls he had built to keep everything in crumbled.
Cross, Cuyan, Data, and Will were there along with most of the men of Lightning and Ghost Companies. Moon was on his other side, a hand on his shoulder even as he leaned heavily against a vod,
He didn't remember what he said about Spark, but he had no doubt he said something meaningful. When he threw the first pile of dirt on top of Spark, Blue couldn't stop the sob that left him. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees. Ikoe made a sound but fell with him easily, never letting go and holding him tight even though he dug his hands into the dirt beneath. Hiccuping between sobs, Blue could only watch and more brothers threw dirt on top of Spark before moving to his and whispering soft words that he didn't hear.
He felt Ikoe pull him into a proper hug and he clung to her, burying his face in her shoulder as he sobbed. "Blue," Cody murmured and Blue looked up to see Cody kneeling in front of him. "Do you want me to tell them?" he asked and Blue shook his head.
"I-I need to be the one to tell them," Blue said, his voice hoarse and cracking. "But could you be with me?" he asked softly and Cody smiled gently at him.
"Of course," Cody agreed before helping Blue up and leading him, and Ikoe, somewhere more private for that comm call.
Sitting down on a cot in an empty tent, Cody and Ikoe bracketing him on either side, Cody pulls out a holocomm and puts in the commcode. By then, Blue has managed to stop the tears, but he feels like he could start at any moment. "Blue!" Hawk's face appeared with a big smile, close to the holocomm before backing up and letting him see Saber next to him. But when Hawk takes him in, the smile slips from his lips and he's frowning in worry. "Blue...what happened?" Hawk asked softly and Blue has to swallow the lump in his throat, glancing at Cody and Ikoe when they squeeze his hands.
"A-are you safe at the moment? No-uh-no battles your preparing for?" Blue asked, his voice cracking and Hawk's face glanced over at Saber, no doubt looking at him worried.
"We're still in hyperspace. Got at least 12 hours still before we reach our destination," Saber answered cautiously, his stomach dropping when he heard his batchmates question.
"Good....good...." Blue whispered softly, glancing down at his knees and the hands clasping his. "You'll....you'll want to be sitting down."
"Blue, what happened?" Hawk demanded, his brow furrowed in worry causing his nose to scrunch up.
"I-It's Spark," Blue whispered, his voice cracking on Spark's name as a few tears started training down his cheeks. "He-he-"
"He's what, Blue?" Hawk demanded, dread covered his face as he watched his batchmate break down. Cody wrapped an arm around Blue's shoulders then and looked at the two grimly.
"Spark was killed in action. He was following Blue in battle and tried saving a vod's life," Cody said and grief filled Hawk.
"No, no. Who?" he asked, wanting desperately to know who Spark gave his life for.
"A vod named Rollo who died in the end taking a bolt meant for Blue," Cody asked, squeezing Blue closer as he let out a sob.
Saber looked like he'd been struck himself, his face going pale as his brain tried to process words coming from the comm. "No- he can't have," he said quietly, barely a sound leaving him as he shook his head. His fists clenched tightly at his side and only loosening when he felt Hawk leaning on him for support. "Blue-" he said a bit louder, feeling like the ground would come up and swallow him any minute.
"I'm so sorry, Blue. Thank you for telling us," Hawk whispered, leaning into Saber as tears trailed down his own cheeks. He was barely keeping himself together but a numb was threatening to set in on him. But he didn't want to break down in front of Blue who seemed to blame himself. He only wished he could be there for Blue and hug him close. "Commanders," he began softly, looking between the two who nodded to him. "Stay with him, please," he asked.
"Of course, Hawk. We'll stay by his side as he grieves," Ikoe promised softly, earning a weak, but grateful smile.
"Thank you," Hawk whispered.
"Go be with your vod. You'll need it," Cody said and Hawk nodded, glancing over at Saber. "Take care of our brother," Saber said a bit stronger now, feeling a responsibility hanging on his shoulders as Hawk shook against him in an effort to stay quiet. He wraps around Hawk's shoulder and pulls him close, both of them needing the comfort. He wished he could reach through and pull Blue with them, let them grieve their missing piece together until it hurt a little less.
"Will do. We'll see you soon, vod," Hawk promised. "Live to fight another day."
"Keep marching, vod," Saber said.
Blue could only nod in goodbye, his voice caught in his throat as he watched Hawk's face fall into a sob as the holo comm ended. He melted into the hug Cody pulled him into and felt as Ikoe hugged his back. "C'mon, I think a cuddle pile is in order," Ikoe mumbled, giving Blue a reassuring squeeze.
"Ok," he whispered.
Ok, so here it is! I hope you guys enjoyed it! An explanation for Rollo in case your curious why he was like that. In a star wars RP there was this dude who just couldn't handle NOT controlling the scene. He had a clone character causing trouble by arguing. So yeah, Rollo is inspired by that dude. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it and are excited for the next chap! ~Love Willa<3<3<3
Mando'a Translations:
Cuyan: Survivor