Star Wars Republic Commando: Knight of Honor ✓

Chapter 23

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.

This chapter's opening quote is taken from Karen Traviss' novel, The Clone Wars: No Prisoners.

Mandalorian (Mando'a) words

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

Di'kut (DEE-koot): idiot, useless individual, waste of space (lit. someone who forgets to put their pants on)

Sha'buir ( SHAH-boo-EER): extreme insult - *jerk*, but much stronger

Shebs (shebs, s.); shebse (SHEB-say, pl.): backside, rear, butt (sometimes vulgar)

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

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Chapter 23

I'm a soldier. It's all I am. I don't know a lot about the outside world, but I'm pretty sure that other soldiers have families and lives outside fighting. We don't.

Clone Captain CC-7567 "Rex"

Tochin Moon III, 785 Days ABG

A calming peace had currently settled down upon the forest, extending into the lake that was surrounded by the wooded land. The night brought with its tranquility, and a cool breeze would pass through on occasion rustling the trees, causing some of the creatures to shift about in their nests. The humidity of the morning was long gone, and Gath was not wrong in his predictions about how the storms that had struck earlier were going to be fast and deadly. The elements had rampaged through the land, battling for dominance while the wind had howled angrily, and the rains fell in heavy sheets. The lightning had been bright and dangerous, the thunder deafening in its crackling as it seemed to split the sky in half.

The group of soldiers and the young princess that was in their care had no choice earlier but to confine themselves into the cavern and wait out the weather. No one complained or objected to the circumstances, however. They knew that it was by sheer luck that they had happened along the natural shelter, and if they had been left to the elements instead, they weren't entirely certain they all would have survived.

By the time late afternoon had come to the forest, the storms had evaporated as quickly as they had approached, and the sun had broken through. With the last of the rains and the gray clouds dissipating, the forest had been left bright and crisp. Raindrops had settled upon everything, seeming to portray crystal shards that reflected a multitude of colors around the lake. For the barest of moments, there was complete harmony amongst the life of Tochin's third moon, and the war for the Republic's freedom was nothing but a distant memory for Crimson.

However, the reality was never far away from them, and when the hunger for nutrition began, Mouse took the initiative to gather fish from the lake for their evening meal. Gath and Jas tasked themselves with trying to find decent firewood, regretting that they had not done so earlier before the rains struck. Dusty had accompanied Les'ika through the surrounding forest, their intentions to find more RubyFruit. He had thought about discussing with her the increasing tension she shared with Jas, but Les'ika had put her mind forth to the task at hand, and it left Dusty without a comfortable opening to approach her on the subject. Instead, he used his time to just be a soldier and protect her while they gathered the berry-like fruit.