Author's Note: I am very grateful to everyone who is taking the time to read, especially comment and vote! 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

Ba'vodu Gan: Uncle Gan

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

Shabuir (SHAH-boo-EER): extreme insult - "jerk", but much stronger

Buy'ce (BOO-chay, BOO-shay): helmet; Colloquially: pint, bucket

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)

Ne'johaa (Neh-JOH-hah): Shut up!

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

--- --- --- --- ---

Chapter 12

It's a shame that Jango wasn't able to survive to see his legacy live on. The admirable barve always had trouble with women. Seems that someone has a twisted sense of humor be use his clone offspring are getting more female action than he ever did.

Walon Vau's thoughts on Clones having relationships with women

Tochin Moon III, 784 Days ABG

Arlesse wasn't sure if the chill woke her or the nagging ache in her neck had done so, and for a moment she couldn't imagine how she would possibly have either of these sensations when she was snuggled in her warm bed. 

Blinking her eyes wearily, she felt disoriented and lethargic. Focusing before her, she didn't see her bedroom but a blur of green and brown. Blinking again, she brought a hand free from the blanket that covered her and rubbed her eyes wearily.

"Did you sleep okay?" a voice asked in an accent that was vaguely familiar but so very foreign.

Arlesse knew that she wasn't supposed to be afraid of the voice, and she took her time to sit up slowly. Discomfort ran down her back at the soreness in her spine and shoulders.. Her legs felt tight, and as she moved them, they made a popping sound as her joints tried to realign in their correct position.

Feeling the cool morning chill, Arlesse took hold of the blanket and wrapped it tighter around her shoulders, shaking off a shiver.

She studied the three soldiers and was grateful they had their helmets off this time. She was trying to figure out which ones were here and which one was missing. She looked for the subtle differences she had discovered earlier. 

The quiet one sat farthest away from the group of them, even though he was close enough to provide assistance if necessary. She concluded that one was Mouse. Gath had a way of observing and studying everything around him as though he was always planning for the future. She picked him out as he sat against a fallen tree. 

The third one had eyes that sparkled with a touch of playfulness, and his hair was thicker than the others. He went by Dusty, and he was taking something small from his belt pouch, but she couldn't discern what exactly it was.

Arlesse took a sudden, short breath at the concept that Jas was not amongst them, and she wondered if her actions with him last night had gotten him into some kind of trouble.

"Well, I'm not convinced you slept well," Dusty smiled as he moved toward her and offered her a small, gray cube. It was the item she had seen him pull from his pouch.

"She's being polite," Mouse complained from his slightly distant position. "Your snoring kept half the wildlife away."

"Hey, better my snoring than your uncontrollable..."

"What is this?" Arlesse asked, deciding that asking about Jas' whereabouts just now would seem nosy and might prompt questions she'd rather not have to be concerned about answering. Looking at the small cube, Arlesse studied it with curiosity, not entirely sure what to do with it. 

She moved it about in her hand, and she couldn't imagine why it was given to her.

Dusty looked to her, not believing she could be serious. "It's a ration cube. Haven't you seen one before?"

"No," she replied feeling suddenly insignificant and stupid. How could she not know something so simple.? Was she truly that sheltered that she had only seen real food, served conveniently on a table in a civilized manner? 

She tried to think of any instance in which she was exposed to something so trivial like a ration cube, but there had never been a moment in her life.

"Then, at least get some fluids in you," Gath said handing her a bottle of water, breaking her thoughts.

Arlesse nodded, taking the bottle from the man before her. Feeling the cloned soldiers' eyes on her, she hesitantly put the cube in her mouth and quickly followed it with a drink of water. 

The cube was dry and flavorless, and she couldn't understand how these men sustained their strength on them. It seemed unrealistic that something so small could keep them from starving to death.

"Hey, don't feel bad about it," Dusty said, as soon as he realized she had been serious about never having seen a ration cube. He could tell by the way she nearly gagged on it that she had never eaten one before either. "A ration cube's not so bad once you get used to it. We've eaten worse"

Arlesse took another drink of the water and tried to get past her lack of experience with so many things. She took a soft breath and brought her eyes to the forest around them, listening to the birds singing high in the trees. 

She looked to the bright colors and the sunlight glistening on the morning dew. The smell of wood and florals was around them like a thick mist, and she was reminded of her garden at the palace.

"Do you recognize anything, Ma'am?" Gath asked hoping she might have had an opportunity at some point in her life to pass through these particular woods.

Bringing her eyes around her with more scrutiny, she tried to see if anything looked vaguely familiar. 

After a moment, she shook her head sadly. "Most of Tochin III is wooded land. The people set up their towns in a perimeter around the palace, leaving much of the moon untouched." she paused and took a saddened breath. "I'm sorry I'm not much help to any of you."

"Ma'am, you have nothing to apologize for," Gath said.

"Yes, I do." Her eyes fell to her lap, and she used every ounce of strength within her to not cry as she acknowledged the shortcomings that made her the inadequate young woman she was. "You're all so brave and smart, and I'm nothing but a sheltered girl. I can't believe I didn't try to do anything to help that clone soldier, and I know I should have. It breaks me every time I think about how I just sat there and cried. I've never been more scared or frightened, and all I wanted was to see my father again like some child."

She felt her shoulders slump, and she didn't fight the invisible weight that fell on them. "I've never slept in the woods before, and I've never seen a ration cube in my life. For some reason, that angers me. I hate the fact that I'm useless and the only respect anyone gives me is because of some title I inherited. I hate the Separatists for using me in their war. I never asked to be kidnapped, and even though I'm grateful for your help to rescue me, I can see that you'd rather be doing something more important than babysitting some helpless..."

"Wow," Dusty said, scratching the back of his head, interrupting her. "Do all females ramble like that?"

Gath gave him a look that warned him to back off while he told him to shut up. "Ne'johaa. Don't be a di'kut."

"I'm just wondering," Dusty defended. "None of us ever really got this close to a civvie before, especially a female..."

"You're on crass shabuir," Mouse interrupted.

Gath's voice was now irritated. "I said ne'johaa, both of you." Turning back to the princess, he took a breath and composed his voice into an example of calm. He was surprisingly no irritated, frustrated, or angry at her minor meltdown. "Ma'am, are you done now? Do you feel better?"

Leaning slightly forward, Gath continued, "You have every right to be angry and frightened, Ma'am. Undermining yourself, though, won't do any of us any good. You should be angry at the damn Seps who did this to you. There is nothing wrong with living a life protected and cared for. Our training sergeant once told us that not everyone is a soldier or meant to be one, and that is why there are men like us. We keep beings like you safe."

Arlesse took a silent breath, and her voice was soft, apologetic. "Then, what am I supposed to be? I'm not looking to be the next leader of Tochin. I was planning to elect my cousin to succeed to the throne in my place. And for as much as I know my father loves me, he never gave me any guidance for my future."

"I'm sorry about that, Ma'am, and I have no advice for you," he told her. "Clones aren't given any future either. We know that none of us will survive for the next thirty years."

"How do you know you won't survive?" she asked. "Are your missions dangerous?"

"Ma'am," Dusty answered. "Surviving the mission is only half the fun. If any of us make it to the end of the war, we'll be old long before your father decided he wants to retire."

"Our age is accelerated," Mouse clarified. "My shabuir of a brother just can't answer a question with a straight answer."

Arlesse gasped at the concept of these soldiers being forced to rush through their lives. She wondered what kind of childhood they had since they had to grow up so quickly. 

Did they ever run through a field on a sunny day or laugh when a flutter-wing landed on their nose? Have they ever tasted candied berries and sneaked them as a midnight treat? 

Had any of them ever received a present, something useless but meaningful, because that is what is done on a special occasion?

Arlesse opened her mouth, deciding which question to ask, but Gath abruptly looked behind her and acknowledged something with a silent nod of his head.

"There's nothing out there but woods and wildlife," Jas reported.

Arlesse turned to the man who had come up behind her, realizing that he made no sound. She looked to him and saw his helmet nearly tucked beneath his arm and that his blaster hung close by his side. 

He was the perfect soldier, standing before his superior the way he had been taught.

Gath was relieved to hear that there were no potential obstacles ahead of them, and he would not have to try to come up with an alternate route once they started into the woods. 

The last thing they needed was any surprises when they finally did get going.

Jas now brought his eyes to the princess and nodded. She certainly didn't look any worse than she did last night, despite how she just vented her frustrations.

 He decided to offer her a polite greeting, not sure of her mood yet. He had caught the last of her ranting, and he didn't dare say anything that might erupt her ire again. "Morning, Ma'am."

Closing her eyes Arlesse took a silent breath, wondering just how much of her ungrateful complaining Jas had heard.she was certain that he would think of her as nothing but a spoiled child, and there would be no way to convince him otherwise.

 Nothing she had done or said so far could possibly lead him to any other impression.

Opening her eyes now, she saw that Jas had settled back in with the other soldiers and that he seemed to be interested in picking up the small encampment they had made around them. 

She wasn't sure what to make of that and decided it was best to just forget about her outburst because he seemed to have done so.

Watching these young men, Arlesse felt the overwhelming pity in her at the thought of their shortened lives. They looked so experienced and mature that she couldn't possibly understand how they were younger than they appeared. 

She knew it was a minor thing she could do, and she didn't want them to be so formal around her anymore.

 Speaking softly, she didn't hide the apology in her voice, hoping that if she brought herself to their level they might stop seeing her like some precious object and more as a person. "I have a name. Please don't feel obligated to call me 'Ma'am' all the time."

Gath, as she expected, was the first to respond. "It's against our orders to use your name, Ma'am. I'm sorry."

Arlesse sighed wit hanger at the thought that someone could tell them to ignore another being's name. "Why? I don't understand. What kind of order is that?"

Mouse looked at the young girl and understood her frustration. There were times he wondered what kind of di'kut would come up with the orders that his vode were expected to follow. He had to admit that not calling someone by his or her rightful name but with a generic title was another stupid order.

 After all, he and his brothers all had names, despite how the Kaminoans believed that only a rank and number was good enough for an army.

Eyes turning sad now, Arlesse fidgeted with the bottle of water in her hands. "I feel like I'm nobody. I..." She broke off her words and shook her head briefly as a thought occurred to her. "Everyone chooses names or is given a name so that they will be a nobody. I overheard some of the nobles talking about the Clone Army a few weeks ago, and they called you flesh droids. They said you were men with no names, only ranks, and numbers. The made you sound like uncaring beings who did nothing but wield weapons against a common enemy."

She brought her eyes to each of the four similarly looking men. "Since I met you, though, you have everything to prove those ungrateful nobles wrong."

Gath took a heavy breath now and rubbed his face with his hands. He tried to figure out how a sane young woman could turn their world into chaos. 

She had just complimented them on their display of humanity, and he wasn't sure if she was even aware that she had done so.

Dusty scratched the back of his head, at a loss for words. He knew that Gath would never allow them to disobey such a trivial order. 

It wasn't as though their lives depended on the princess's name being spoken, and they weren't on the frontlines where a split-second decision to change the order would save their lives and turn the tide of the battle. 

Yet, all she wanted was to be called something significant... just like Gan had done for them.

Jas studied her blue eyes and felt pity for the young princess. She had everything she had ever known torn out from under her and was depending on the skills and knowledge of four complete strangers to ensure her safety. 

The least they should be allowed to do for her was give her back something of her identity, a link who she truly was.

Surprisingly, though, it was Mouse who spoke."Do you have a nickname, Ma'am?"

Her eyes rested on the quiet commando, not fully understanding why he would ask such a question, but feeling no hesitation in answering. "Lessa. My mother used to call me that when I was younger. After she died, my father only used it until I was twelve years old. He very rarely ever calls me that now, only in very quiet moments when no one is around."

Jas suddenly understood Mouse's logic. He looked to the young princess and in a soft voice, he said, "Les'ika."

Arlesse brought her eyes instantly to Jas, clearly confused. She tried to repeat what he just said, asking it as a question. "Les-ee-ka?"

Dusty laughed and looked at Mouse. "Isn't that cute? The little lady really is a little lady."

"ika means little, and just add it to the first part of your nickname," Jas explained. "The Tochin people or any lurking Separatists wouldn't know what it means, and we can still give you some kind of identity."

"Les'ika," Arlesse repeated, feeling he face light up at the sound of the name the soldiers had given her. "Thank you."

"Great you named her," Gath sighed, not at all liking how his brothers had taken the situation completely out from under him.

 Although he didn't agree with the orders, he knew that their superiors didn't want her name used because it would attach them to her in some personal way.

 Not using her title was just common sense so that any passerby would not be inclined to ask unnecessary questions regarding her. 

Still, Crimson always managed to find ways around their orders and rules, and it was one of the main reasons the Kaminoans hated them.

"Come on, Gath, loopholes are our specialty," Duty immediately smiled.

"Reject squad at its finest," Mouse added.

Arlesse wasn't sure about the private joke they were enjoying, but it didn't sound very encouraging. She looked amongst the cloned men hoping they were talking about another squad. Her father would be furious if he out they didn't in Republic's finest.

"We got in trouble a lot when we were kids," Jas explained shyly. "Not everyone appreciated our... innovations."

Gath crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled heavily. They just blew the mission, didn't they? They personalized their objective, and they made a point to delve into their wayward status in her presence.

Arlesse nodded silently to Jas at his explanation. She thought about this squad of soldiers and how they didn't fail to rescue her and how they continually made certain to keep her safe. They had shown creativity and quite a degree of cleverness.

 After all, Dusty had distracted Hazar long enough to take a daring shot at him, Jas somehow knew to look for hidden compartments on Hazar's ship, Mouse had found a way to give her back some kind of identity, and Gath had calmly handled her lack of self-confidence. 

She realized that she had no reason to believe they wouldn't keep her safe for the duration of their time together.

Standing from the ground and attempting to hand the now empty bottle to Gath, Arlesse accepted these brave men. 

A sketchy past didn't matter to her if they were true to their word and got her home. As long as they stayed honorable and protective, she had no reason to feel anything adverse for them.

Deciding that she finally needed to handle matters of an entirely different nature, Arlesse told them, "I need a few minutes."

Gath lifted his head with concern, feeling his face go pale. He worried that something had suddenly gone terribly wrong, and he probably should have stopped Dusty and Mouse before they went too far with revealing their status as rejects.

 He also feared that if they let the princess out of their sight, something could happen to her and they would risk the mission.

Studying her carefully, Gath asked, "Where are you going?"

Arlesse looked amongst the four pairs of eyes and couldn't control how she cringed at Gath's abrupt question. For all their well intentions, she wondered if she would ever be allowed to know privacy again.

 She tried to think of how she was supposed to tell these men that she required a few minutes without their well-meaning interference. The last time she ever had to tell anyone when she needed to handle such personal matters was years ago when she was nothing but a youngling. 

Now, she had to figure out how to handle those personal matters without the comforts she had known her entire life and without insulting the soldiers trying to keep her safe.

Dusty gently pushed Gath's shoulder and took the bottle from the princess. "Give the girl some privacy, will you, ner vod? Not everyone can hold it as long as you can. She needs to 'study the plants and flowers closely.'"

Arlesse felt her cheeks burn and could only imagine how red her face had turned. She tried to wrap the blanket tighter around her, wishing she could disappear.

 After a moment, she opened her eyes and moved quickly away from the camp, leaving the four cloned men behind her as she tried to find someplace far away from them.

 She suddenly wondered how long she would be able to live with her dignity out in the open for four Republic soldiers to see.

      --- --- --- --- ---      

Quick Author's Note: First, I want to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I would also like to say happy holidays to everyone. If you don't celebrate Christmas, which I know some people do not, I want to wish you and everyone who celebrates Christmas a Happy New Year!

Did you love that chapter!? I hope you did! Show your support for the author by simply clicking the little VOTE button to the bottom left or top right of your screen! Have a wonderful day!  

As always, Votes and Comments/Feedback is most enthusiastically welcome!