Star Wars Republic Commando: Knight of Honor ✓

Chapter 16

Author's Note: If you have any tips writing tips, please feel free to comment.

As always, I continue to hope that I am doing justice to the spirit of Star Wars as well the respective authors and characters from which I borrow. Again, I gratefully accept constructive criticism as a means to help me develop my skills further as a writer.

Mandalorian (Mando'a) words

Ner vod (nair-vohd): "my brother/sister"; colloquially also "my friend"

Ika (EE-kah): diminutive suffix written as 'ika - also added to a name as a very familiar or childhood form, e.g, Ord'ika - Little Ordo

Vode (VOH-day): brothers, sisters, comrades

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Chapter 16

I've heard people say that we don't care about them and it's immoral to have them used from the start. They're right, and I often wondered what other choice we could have made when our backs are against the wall. The Clone Army was a grave mistake, but not because of their lives as men, as beings. It was a mistake because of how they have been used and exploited. How many of them will ever have any kind of normalcy... a relationship... a family?

Private journal of General Bardan Jusik, prior to resigning from the Jedi Order

Tochin Moon III, 784 Days ABG

Gath and Dusty had settled themselves upon the rocks while they waited for Mouse to return. According to the timeframe that Jas provided, Mouse had only been gone for about fifteen minutes, and they all knew that once their brother took chase to a prey—whenever it was for a mission or for his own purposes—he didn't relent until his quarry was caught.

Gath took a moment to review additional information about the moon of Tochin that they were stranded upon in his HUD.

 He had wanted to know more of this Fang-bird that Jas had told them Mouse was hunting. Considering the bird's predatory nature, Gath decided that it was probably better that Mouse chased it down than the bird finding them. 

The flightless avian ran at speeds of twenty miles an hour and once it caught its prey with its razor-sharp claws, it dug its fangs mercilessly into a strong artery on the helpless prey and drank the blood for its sustenance.

Taking a tally now, Gath concluded that they had Pallid Vipers and Fang-birds to contend with in the forests. He was beginning to understand now why the princess' father kept her locked so closely in her palace where she was safe.

Dusty pulled free his kit from their spare water bottle that they confiscated earlier in the morning from the escape pod. 

He offered it to the princess, trying to study the confusion in her eyes. "Les'ika, you didn't have to push yourself so hard. Your father would probably kill us if we brought you back on your deathbed."

Arlesse took the offered water and swallowed down a large mouthful, not realizing just how dry her throat had become. She wasn't entirely sure if it was because of her want to keep up with these military-trained soldiers, her frightened screams from the snake, or her moment of nervous confusion with Jas.

Looking to Dusty as he removed his helmet and took his own drink of water, she responded, "I'm trying to not be a helpless waste of your time. I thought if I made an effort with something as simple as walking, I might earn your respect."

"Ma'am," Gath said, as he now pulled free from his helmet and the data that he had been studying. His concern about Mouse's disappearance was evident on his face while he continued speaking to the princess, "You and I had this discussion already..."