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

Ba'vodu (BAH-vod-oo): uncle (plural bavodu'e) or aunt (plural bavodu'e)

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

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

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

Kama (KAH-ma): belt-spat

Shebs (shebs): backside, rear, buttocks (also rear of buildings etc)

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

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Chapter 37

I always thought they'd be the ones to survive. They thrived on defiance, and our training sergeant, Gan Pohin, spent more time defending them than was tolerated by the other sergeants. Eventually, everyone on Kamino had dubbed them the "Reject Squad." Even I had thought that they might pull off some defiant miracle here on Tochin and walk out of the ashes of Hazar's wreckage. I regret having felt hope for my rival brothers, and I understand a new pain now, the pain of losing those I considered my family.

Clone Commander, CC-2341, "Tarj" discussing his grief with King Vollan Psach

Tochin Moon III, 786 Days ABG

Out in the distance, the high-pitched hum of a LAAT/i gradually increased in volume, turning the silence into nothing but a vehicle's engine. Jas recognized the whirring sound of the engine as it rose and fell in pitch while the pilot skimmed above the treetops, raising and lowering the LAAT/i to account for the varying height of the trees in the forest.

Arlesse couldn't help looking up into the dark sky, trying to seek out the source of the distant noise. She refused to uncurl her fingers from Jas' just yet, asking, "That's them, isn't it?"

"Yes," he replied sadly. Normally, he would welcome the LAAT/i's engine, grateful to get away from whatever situation he was in and look forward to a rest at the end of the mission. However, this time the sound only served as a countdown to the conclusion of the past few days and an end to the moments that had given him an opportunity to share emotions that most of his clone brothers would never know.

The engine of the LAAT/i had grown increasingly loud now, and Jas was certain that the vehicle had found the open field where the equinine farm was once located. There was a change in pitch as the LAAT/i's repulsors kicked in, and Jas was certain that the pilot was assessing where it was safest to land amongst the debris that Mouse had caused earlier when he set off the thermal detonators on Gunna's ship.

Jas regretfully untangled Les'ika's hand from his and watched her slip away from him as she stood against the tree that they had been hidden behind. She lowered her eyes and stared at the darkness of the ground, her eyes blinking hard against the emotions that wanted to spill through. Her fingers twisted nervously before her as though all her confidence had suddenly been erased.

"You'll be okay now," Jas told her as he lifted his helmet off the ground and held it before him.

Arlesse raised her eyes and found him watching her with concern etched on his face. She took a deep breath and spoke softly. "I don't normally get to say goodbye to anyone. Everyone just leaves."

Jas nodded in understanding. He didn't normally get to say goodbye either. He had lost brothers daily, even if they were estranged. Not even Gan offered a goodbye on the day they embarked from Kamino. Their training sergeant, their ba'vodu, had merely watched them load onto a transport ship from the distance with his head down as though grieving.

"Then, we should share this goodbye together," he told her quietly.

Arlesse swallowed hard, bracing herself to use one of the words that Jas had taught her. "You and your...vode need to stay safe. None of you are rejects, and you're always welcomed back here. I'll make sure my father knows that."

Jas heard the repulsors of the LAAT/i shut down, and he knew that if they didn't catch up with the others in the open field, Tarj would send out a search party for them. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, closing his eyes at the emotion that his small gesture contained. When he pulled back, he saw the sadness in her eyes, the same sadness that he felt in his own, and his voice was quiet, regretful. "Goodbye, Les'ika."

Arlesse watched as Jas put the helmet on his head. Her voice was a mere whisper, mourning for the man beneath that she would never see again. "Goodbye, Jas."

The sound of scuffling boots surrounded them suddenly, and Jas clenched his fist in silence as he realized that they had not moved quickly enough. Three troopers had found their way to the tree where he and Les'ika had been delaying their departure.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" one of the troopers asked.

Arlesse took a couple seconds to respond, as she was still lost in her memories of Jas, staring at the gray-armored man before her. Finally breaking her eyes away, she looked to the white-armored soldiers and nodded her head absently.

Jas was aware of how Les'ika's trust seemed to have waned. She knew that the clone troopers would not bring her harm, but to her, they were faceless soldiers. She had no connection with them, nothing to give her a sense of humanity. Crimson had laid themselves before her as men and so did the trooper who had died for her protection. Jas felt like he was abandoning Les'ika, leaving her to strangers who knew nothing about her, other than what they had probably been fed in some last-minute flash-training session.

Deciding to ignore protocol and the rules for just a while longer, Jas quickly reached forward and grasped her hand. He could see that Les'ika needed someone she could trust, someone who was familiar to her and could ease her back into her life at the palace. Jas knew that he couldn't stay with her for the full transition, but he could certainly stay by her side until she was back on the grounds of her home. Jas felt he had earned that right, that privilege, to be the one to bring her home because he had been with her since the start in Hazar's prison cell.

Aware that Les'ika had suddenly relaxed as though someone had put a comforting blanket around her shoulders, Jas could feel her tension melt as her small fingers squeezed around his hand.

"I'll take her to the LAAT/i," Jas proposed, making sure his voice made no room for compromise.

"Understood," the trooper responded as he moved before them, illuminating the way with his spotlamps. The other two troopers fell in behind the commando and the princess, taking the rear guard.

As the group moved closer to the LAAT/i, four more troopers emerged from the vehicle. One of the troopers had markings in green along his arms and legs, signifying the rank of a clone commander. The green coloring on his helmet was designed to give the appearance of aggressive war paint. It made the T-visor of the helmet look like an angry, hellish alien and the markings on the sides gave the impression of jagged cuts along the being's cheeks. The back of the commander's armor was covered with a thick, leather swath that extended down from his belt to the back of his knees and was trimmed in green along the edges.

As Gath and the rest of Crimson had made their way towards the LAAT/i, Dusty continued to push Zech rudely, offering unconvincing apologizes whenever the baron tripped over something in the field. Mouse stayed close to Zech and kept lifting him by the scruff of his neck every time he lost his balance.

The clone in the green-striped armor lifted his hands to his helmet and removed it from his head. Again, his face looked the same as the men in Crimson, but his hair was much longer than Dusty's, the thick locks extending down past the nape of his neck and tied neatly in the back. He eyed the four commandos and the two civilians that accompanied them.

Gath likewise took off his helmet upon greeting the brother that was his faithful competition their entire lives. Gath allowed a smirk to cross his features. "Nice to see you, Tarj, and the skirt still suits you, especially now that you let your hair grow out."

"I've told you more than once it's a kama, you di'kut," Tarj snapped, trying to restrain from releasing his laugh of relief. "Also, I got tired of dealing with hair cuts. It's a lot easier to just tie it back, but then you always did like to do things the hard way. Speaking of which, I should have known that when they assigned me here, I'd be hauling your shebs out of trouble."

"Tarj, you just can't stand the boring GAR without us," Mouse jibed flatly.

"Wow, someone taught you to speak more than two-word phrases," Tarj laughed as he slapped Mouse's shoulder with relief.

"I take that credit. I make him so annoyed that he just yells whole paragraphs at me now," Dusty smiled as he pushed Zech onto the ground in front of Tarj.

"So, this is the package for interrogation?" Tarj asked, scrutinizing over Zech like he was damaged merchandise at a bazaar.

"Yeah. Separatist di'kut," Dusty answered, "Found him plotting to take out the king. I think this ups our percentage another couple notches. Is it even possible to be over one-hundred percent?"

Jas came before Tarj now, his hand still holding onto Les'ika's. Normally, he would have joined in the verbal bantering with Tarj, as something they were always good for was a laugh with each other. He could see that their time apart in the war hadn't lessened the teasing or the joking, but Jas was far from a jovial mood right now. He knew he had to break himself away from Les'ika, but he just wasn't ready yet to release her hand, and as she clutched to his hand, he knew she continued to feel the same.

"Good to see you, Jas," Tarj smiled guardedly to him in greeting, sensing that Jas was not in quite the same wistful mood as his brothers. His eyes glanced quickly to the way Jas held onto the princess, but with Jas' buy'ce in place, Tarj couldn't get a decent feel for his brother's true disposition.

Jas used his other hand to clasp Tarj's wrist in a typical Mandalorian greeting. "Glad you're still alive."

Tarj released Jas' arm and decided that he wouldn't dwell on his brother right now. Jas would eventually deal with his problems as he always had, and Tarj knew that he had to get back to the more pressing matters at hand anyway. He now bowed his head respectfully to the girl he recognized as the princess. Unlike the multitude of holo-images that the king had shown him during his time at the palace, Arlesse Psach no longer looked quite as refined as those holo-images had indicated. Everything that was enhanced and sophisticated about her in the king's holo collection didn't exist right now as the past few days of wilderness surviving with Crimson was evident in her appearance.

"Ma'am," Tarj said greeting her cautiously, aware of some sadness in her eyes that he hoped was due to missing her father. "We'll get you home quickly."

Arlesse instinctively squeezed Jas' hand tighter, her breath suddenly heavy. She couldn't help herself and turned her head to look at Jas, disappointed when his helmet remained on his head, covering his face.

Jas squeezed her hand in return, watching the entire scene around him through the HUD in his helmet. He saw the troopers hauling Zech onto the LAAT/i, while Crimson smiled happily in their reunion with Tarj. Jas was actually glad that he kept his buy'ce in place because the last thing anyone needed to see was the pain in his eyes. He never imagined in a couple days that he would feel so strongly for anyone, and especially not develop a romantic attachment with a woman. He had already wondered how he was going to adjust his thoughts and emotions when he didn't have Les'ika around anymore.

"Your father is awaiting your return," Tarj continued as he kept his interest on the princess, unable to understand why she seemed so disheartened and why her attention on Jas paled into some kind of deeper sadness.

Arlesse nodded in understanding and watched as Tarj slipped his green-marked helmet onto his head before he stepped inside the LAAT/i and reached a hand down to help her inside.

Jas stayed by Les'ika's side and put a hand on her waist to help steady her as she stepped up into the small transport. He remained with her after they had gotten inside, keeping one hand connected to her as she took hold of one of the overhead handles.

The rest of Crimson entered behind them, and Zech was pushed into a corner where he was secured to a railing that was designed to hold prisoners. Two of the clone troopers guarded Zech, their stances practically daring him to do something stupid.

Tarj looked down to the princess. "Lift-offs can be rough, Ma'am. Make sure you've got a good grip."

Arlesse tightened her fingers both on the handle and Jas' hand. As Tarj had predicted, the LAAT/i rose with a start and if it wasn't for Jas' grasp, she was certain that she would have lost her balance. Closing her eyes for a few minutes, Arlesse concentrated on nothing but the warm strength of Jas' gloved fingers and knew that she only had this minuscule touch left to share with him now, but she was going to spend the flight back home lost in her memories of the past few days. She would never forget Crimson, and she would especially not forget Jas.

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