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lonewolflupe · 3 months ago

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aLoF ch9 | Troubling Tension

Yesss here's another Lone Wolf Squad chapter for you! There's action, fun, shenanigans, some innocent bantering and - tension. Let's see how that affects the squad.. I hope you enjoy this chapter (:

Summary: words spoken - and unspoken - cause a tension that affects the squad during their mission Rating: Teen and up Tags: canon-typical violence, swearing (usage of slang; kriff/kriffing = fuck/fucking, kark = shit), miscommunication Words: 9.434k Characters: Lupe (OC), Trooper Ragnar (OC), Trooper Claw (OC), Trooper Fang (OC), Trooper Twist (OC), Mace Windu, CC-1010 Commander Fox, Commander Thorn, Gra Neb (OC), unidentified Commerce Guild members, ARC-5555 Fives (cameo) aLoF masterlist | AO3 ch8 < | ↓ | > ch10

20 BBY, Coruscant | Jedi Temple, High Council Chamber

(Within a few rotations after the events of chapter 8)

“A civvie pick-up? In neutral territories?”

Lupe's words weren't intended to undermine the Jedi Council; she was merely surprised by the mission's objective. Her arms already crossed, she raised a brow. Master Windu shot her an unamused smile. “And we trust you to complete this mission delicately,” he added to the briefing.

“Understood. But I can tell you, a squad of clones accompanied by a Jedi will stand out,” she replied, a smirk on her face as she found amusement in the necessity to state the obvious. The seasoned Jedi Master sighed before picking up the datapad at his side. “Then it's of the highest importance to make yourselves not stand out. We're sure you'll think of a solution,” he concluded, before handing her the device with the mission’s details.

Lupe nodded towards Master Windu as she accepted the datapad, before positioning herself in the middle of the room again. “Thank you, Masters,” she said, whilst respectfully bowing before them. When dismissed, she turned around and walked out of the Chamber, finding her way towards the GAR barracks. Well, this was going to get interesting.

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks

“A civvie pick-up? In neutral territories?” Fang shot at her after she finished summarising her briefing in front of the squad. Lupe snorted in response; those had been her exact same words. “Yeah, and we're supposed to handle this delicately; since it's a neutral planet, no one can find out the Republic is interfering,” she explained, adding some heaviness to her words, hoping they would pick up on the importance of it.

“And sending a Jedi with a clone squad is supposed to be discreet?” Claw added with a raised brow. Lupe smiled and shook her head; she loved how these clones were on the same page as her. “Yeah, they trust me to be creative enough to figure something out.”

Ragnar had been standing at the back of the squad during Lupe's recap, silently taking in both her words and those of his brothers as he gently stroked the little beard on his chin. He looked up at Lupe's last remark, and finally moved himself forward to claim her attention. “And have you figured something out?” he asked her, his usual seriousness to his voice.

Her lips slid into a confident smirk when she faced the sergeant. “My dear Sergeant, of course I have. Haven't we been on enough missions together by now for you to trust me with this?” She gestured to them to follow her when she walked away. “Now follow me; we're going shopping.”

---

Coruscant | Republic Centre for Military Operations

“And you have direct orders?” Commander Fox, standing stiff as a statue, was facing her through his visor from the other side of the transparisteel window that separated them. His arms crossed in front of his chest, he seemed unimpressed by her request.

“Do indirect orders work for you?” Lupe asked, a sheepish grin on her face. Maker, this guy is unyielding. She thought it had been his attitude towards her when she was brought in drunk, after evoking a fist fight among the GAR’s troops; but apparently, he was always like this. “C’mon, we'll return the gear once we've finished the mission. I'll bring you a caf too,” she tried charming him, accompanied by an innocent smile.

Fox leaned forward, his helmet just centimetres away from the window. His voice was low and almost threatening when he spoke. “Is that bribery?” Lupe’s eyes widened in shock and she showed her hands in a gesture of innocence. “What? No, I- Kriff, I just thought you could use some,” she replied, starting to get slightly annoyed.

She thought he might budge by now, but the only thing that ensued was an intimidating silence. Lupe sighed at last, before moving closer to the window. Her voice was low and soft, making sure these words were between her and Fox only. She subtly gestured towards her squad, located at the back of the room as they patiently awaited their General's negotiating.

“Look, it's a delicate mission and our orders are that they can't stand out as clones, but I'm NOT dragging them into any mission without them wearing some proper armour. I need them to be safe.”

Another moment of silence. She couldn't see the Commander's expression through his visor, and she was totally lost on whatever went on in his head. Fox was definitely a hard one to read. It seemed like he was chronically done with everything and everyone, and that vibe made it hard for her to feel any other emotions. Maybe she would bring him that caf after all.

She could hear the deep sigh through his built-in voice regulator, before his posture relaxed - but only slightly. There was only so much room for Commander Fox to relax. “Alright, but I'm gonna have to report this,” he said at last, slowly shaking his head. “Fine by me,” Lupe bit back in a whisper, as the Commander turned around to fetch them a chaperone from the guard station.

The red laser barrier got disabled, granting them entrance into the facility. Fox was followed by another Coruscant Guard, meeting Lupe at the entrance. “Thorn will accompany you. Don't make me regret this,” Fox sighed, before heading back into the guard post. Lupe shot him a quick ‘yessir'; Fox strongly reminded her of Wolffe, but it seemed this Commander was even more tired and done than the Wolfpack's leader.

After nodding a quick greeting towards Thorn, Lupe started following him, her squad quickly following them behind. When they gained some comfortable distance from the guard post, Lupe cleared her throat. “Is, er- is he always like that?” she asked cautiously, her curiosity taking the better of her.

Thorn chuckled softly. “Commander Fox? Ah, he's just tired. We get to see a lot of kark on a daily basis. And the paperwork pushes you over the edge sometimes.” Lupe, walking at his side by now, shot him a wry smile. “Sorry for adding to your pile,” she said softly, starting to feel slightly bad about it. Thorn granted her a quick nod before replying: “Don't worry sir, we're used to it.”

After rounding a few corners, they found themselves in front of a solid door. Thorn entered a security code on the appurtenant control panel, and the door slid open. The room behind it was filled to the brim with confiscated and abandoned goods. “Alright, there we are. Remember, you can't take any GAR equipment; it's against military protocol. But I'm sure we have something useful in that corner,” Thorn elaborated, whilst pointing towards a spot less blinding from white plastoid armour pieces.

Lupe and the boys slowly walked into the room, in awe of everything they laid their eyes on. This was like walking into a candy store. Fang reached for a BT X-42 heavy flamethrower, laying on a rack at eye level, but Claw whacked his brother's hands away before he could touch it, shooting a stern look at his twin. Thorn followed them from a little distance, an amused smile below his helmet.

When they reached the spot, Lupe started shuffling through the gear. It clearly wasn't anything the GAR was using, so she wondered what it was doing at the military facility. But she wasn't going to complain; this was perfectly usable to execute her plan. After she approved the goods, she turned towards her squad, a content look on her face. “Dig in, boys,” she said, before they started rummaging through the gear.

It didn't take them too long to compile their outfits, pleased by what they encountered. Armoured pieces were ornate with leathery parts and wrapped in rags. Some colours adorned their new looks, something different from all the white and flint grey they were used to. Lupe had joined them in disguising herself; she couldn't look like a Jedi as much as the boys couldn't look like clones.

“Well, at least you achieved the mercenary look,” Thorn remarked with an amused chuckle, as soon as they had finished dressing themselves. “I'm nailing this look,” Fang gasped, admiring his new outfit. Ragnar looked at him, his lips pressed into a serious, thin line. “Well, don't get used to it,” he said at last, before putting on a customised bounty hunter helmet.

When they exited the hallway and walked past the guard post, Fox shot them a disapproving look from under his helmet, before shaking his head. “Don't forget to put that away,” he shot at Lupe, pointing towards the lightsaber's hilt, still dangling from her belt. “Will do. Thanks for your compliance, Commander,” she said with a grin, before turning towards Thorn and giving him a quick, thankful nod. She and her squad left the facility.

As soon as the door slid shut behind them, Thorn started laughing, placing a comforting hand on Fox’s shoulder. “She was a Padawan with the 104th? She must have been a pain in Wolffe's ass,” he snickered. Fox sighed and took off his helmet, stroking his hand through his greying hair. “She's changed since the start of the war; grown too feral, if you'd ask me. Rex’s ARC trooper has a bad influence on her,” he replied, only increasing Thorn's amusement. “Well, you can't make me believe this was all Fives’ doing,” he chuckled, before walking off to pour them a fresh mug of caf.

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks' Hangar

The Lone Wolves’ new looks granted them some glances, filled with mixed feelings. Lupe was quite amused by it, as she felt the staring clones’ reactions shift between awe, bewilderment and disapproval. She didn't care about it, as long as they would successfully complete this mission - and as long as the temporary outfits’ armour would keep her troops safe.

When they reached their shuttle, the boys made it to their usual spots at once; Claw in the pilot seat with Fang at his side, Twist at the ship's control panel and Ragnar and Lupe just behind them, to overlook the whole operation. “Alright, boys, let’s go. Claw, get this ship in the air. Fang, set out coordinates to the Kessel System. Twist, we need some codes scrambled,” Lupe shot at them, before sharing a look with her sergeant. As Claw piloted the ship out of the hangar, Lupe's gaze returned to their view, and she added in a mutter: “We're heading for uncharted territories.”

---

Outer Rim | Kessel System | Space

Technically, the Kessel System in the Outer Rim was far from uncharted. It contained the troublous planets of Kessel and Oba Diah, both very well known to the Republic - mostly for alarming reasons. But since both planets remained neutral during the war, the Republic wasn't particularly welcome to check in on their situations.

Their current mission led them to Kepler, located within the same system. Kepler was an ecumenopolis; like Coruscant, although not comparable in size, the planet's complete surface was covered in one, big city. With slightly less interference from Kessel’s spice mining and Oba Diah’s Pyke Syndicate, it was the perfect spot for shifty businesses and shady deal making. That didn't make the planet less dangerous than the much bigger ones accompanying it in this system.

When the shuttle reverted into realspace and Claw started piloting it towards Kepler’s spaceport nearest to their objective, Lupe sat down at the back of the ship, patiently awaiting their arrival. Her mind wandered off as she recalled memories from the last few rotations, when she had been on Naboo with Fives. She had dragged him along in hopes she could ease his mind after losing Echo, but so much more had happened during those rotations. Her lips slipped into a smile when she thought about their moments at the lake, how their relationship had changed since then, how their bond had strengthened.

But her smile disappeared when her worries took over. She wasn’t supposed to be in such a relationship, especially not with a clone, a soldier of the Republic. But she couldn’t deny those feelings; she couldn’t push them aside. They made her feel more alive, they made her senses sharper, they made her feel more connected to the Force. But it also made place for new feelings, such as concern over Fives’ well-being and even dread, as she knew so many clones did not return from the battlefield.

When she noticed Ragnar walking over towards her, she tried to swallow those feelings of anguish away; there was no need to bother him with them. He sat down opposite her; it reminded her of their moment during their first mission together, where she had let down her emotional walls. She had to keep them up, but it was becoming harder now that she had started to bond with her sergeant. They had gotten to know each other better, and that meant he was getting better at reading her.

“You’re upset. Did something happen when you were away? Did he- Did he hurt you?” Ragnar asked her in a low, quiet voice, making sure the boys wouldn’t pick up on the conversation. “No, he didn’t,” she replied immediately, offering him a comforting smile to help him ease his mind, before continuing: “I’m just worrying about him.” Ragnar’s eyes darted around, not meeting hers, as he searched for words. Lupe was aware of Ragnar’s mistrust in Fives, and thus trying to shift the subject away from the ARC trooper, she added: “I worry about all you guys.” Ragnar’s gaze shot to hers instantly, his eyes steady now.

His eyes were always so serious, but also full of concern, especially when they were sharing a private conversation. And he always seemed to find the time and space to check in on her, when the boys were occupied with something else. He seemed to care for her so much. Yes, of course she deeply cared for the clones in her squad as well, and with every mission, their bond strengthened. But it almost seemed like Ragnar had granted her his everlasting loyalty from the very first moment they had met.

“You’re better at hiding that,” he softly replied to her remark about worrying over them. Lupe couldn’t help but chuckle as she leaned forward in her seat, getting closer to Ragnar. “I know you and I share a lot, but there are still things I keep to myself,” she told him, an amused tone to her voice and a flicker in her eyes. But his eyes were as serious as ever. “Some thoughts and feelings transcend shared words,” he stated cryptically.

She wasn’t sure what he meant with that, but she just assumed it had to do with her current taste in men. “Ragnar, look, I know you’re not very fond of Fives, but he’s- he’s good to me. He cares about me,” she said cautiously. She didn’t feel the need to deny her relationship with Fives anymore; not towards her squad. They knew her so well by now; they wouldn’t believe her if she denied it, anyway.

Although they still showed concern, Ragnar’s eyes softened at her words. She started to reach for him with her hand, but simultaneously, he slid back into his seat, leaning backwards and thus unintentionally avoiding her touch. A shiver ran through him when he realised it, but it was too late; Lupe had withdrawn her hand by now, afraid she had scared him off. She turned into herself again, putting her arms around her stomach. Ragnar knew she always did this when she felt the need to protect herself, even if she didn’t realise it herself. He knew their moment was gone, and after taking a deep breath, he got to his feet to return to the boys in the cockpit. “I’m just- I’m just not sure about his intentions. Be careful around him,” he said at last, before walking off.

He cursed himself. Those weren’t the words he wanted to tell her; he had wanted to tell her the squad cared about her too - he cared about her. But the only thing he could muster, was a warning for some outsider clone he didn’t trust, whose intentions were unclear to him, afraid he would hurt her over time. Because Ragnar himself cared so much.

---

Outer Rim | Kessel System | Kepler

Lupe was snapped from her thoughts when the shuttle hit the surface. She scolded herself for letting this get to her the way it did, when she clearly needed to focus on the mission ahead. With a sigh, she pulled herself together, adjusting her outfit when she got to her feet. The boys were already wearing their helmets. She expected Ragnar to check in on her a last time before they headed out, but he didn’t; not this time. Get your kark together, she thought as she put on her own helmet before getting off the shuttle.

It felt strange; she didn’t like it. She was used to wearing as little as possible, to move around freely and unbothered. As a Padawan, she had quickly gotten rid of her Jedi cloak, and as the war had started and progressed, she only wore minimum armour. But never a helmet. Instantly, she had trouble with reading her surroundings, with using her senses. It felt like the helmet blocked them. Her skin couldn’t feel the air, her mouth wasn’t able to taste the atmosphere and her eyes didn’t have a clear vision. Or wasn’t it the helmet?

“Kriff,” she sighed out loud, her voice subdued within the helmet. Immediately, a static sound erupted, before she heard Fang’s voice: “Problem, sir?” Kark. She had forgotten they had aligned the built-in comm devices of their helmets, so they could communicate with each other at all times, as long as they were wearing them. The clones were used to this, of course, but Lupe definitely wasn’t. At least due to the helmet, they couldn’t see her blushing right now.

“I, er- I’m not really used to wearing this much.. Equipment,” she regained herself, and she wasn’t lying. She heard several of them chuckling over the comm device, feeling a heavy hand from Claw on her shoulder. Before any of them could shoot her some witty remark, she added herself: “Yeah yeah, I know, you know.” She briefly glanced over towards Twist, who replied to her with a quick shrug.

They found their way through Kepler’s streets on foot, taking in their surroundings as they advanced towards their objective’s location. It looked nothing like Coruscant; at least not like the higher levels. Here in the Outer Rim, everything seemed seedy. At least they didn’t stand out with their adjusted outfits.

“Alright, remember,” Lupe started to remind the squad over their built-in comm devices, “We have the coordinates to the objective’s residence, but he’s probably being watched by the Seppies - or the Commerce Guild - or the Pykes - or anyone else, for what I care. We have to do some recon ourselves, and we have to find an opportunity to meet up with him - without any involvement from any of those parties.” Some affirmative sounds from the boys, before Ragnar’s voice spoke out.

“Are we sure about this objective’s intentions? Does he really want this Republic pick-up?” Lupe was used to Ragnar’s seriousness, and she knew he always held the squad’s best interests at heart; this time he meant it no differently. But because of their earlier conversation, she couldn’t help but take his words the wrong way. “Are we ever sure about anyone’s intentions,” Lupe muttered, slightly irritated, forgetting they could all hear her.

None of the clones replied, but because of the uncomfortable silence, she felt something was off. And then she realised. KRIFF. She was never going to wear a helmet again after this mission. “I don’t know, I only have the intel the Council provided us. We’ll have to see and do what we’re good at; improvise.” Exactly what she was doing right now to divert the attention from her unsubtle remark. She heard some more sounds of affirmation, but none were as clear and confident as before.

The remainder of their walk was rather uncomfortable. None of them spoke another word, as it was clear there was some tension surrounding them. Lupe sighed in relief - but not too loud - when Twist informed them they were getting close to the objective. Time to skip into her General-mode again. “Gotta wait until dark, then we’ll find ourselves a spot on one of the nearby roofs,” she said somewhat cautiously, afraid she would share too much of her thoughts with them again. “We’ll draw too much attention as a group if we keep lingering around together, so I propose we scatter and meet back here at sunset.” It was a good strategy considering their situation, but being alone after her screw up was an additional benefit to this plan.

Fang was the first one to speak up. “Can’t we sit in a bar and get ourselves some drinks while we wait?” he suggested, partly because he thought some booze would lift the tension between them. Which was a considerate thought of him, but he didn’t think his plan through. Claw crossed his arms and tilted his helmeted head sideways as he addressed his brother. “You want to drink from a kriffing straw? We’re not supposed to take our helmets off,” he shot at his twin, resulting in a huff from Fang. “That goes for food as well?” he retried, resulting in a whack on his helmet this time, as Claw shot out: “How are you gonna eat with your helmet on?”

Normally, Lupe would be amused by the twins’ bickering, but she couldn’t get herself to even smile this time. “Remember, this place at sunset,” she reminded them in all seriousness, before she intended to walk off. But again, it was Fang’s voice that stopped her from doing so. “How are we going to remember this place as our rendezvous point? All these streets and intersections look the same to me,” he shot out worriedly. Lupe gave their surroundings a quick look, and spotted a signboard on one of the nearby buildings. The board depicted a very underdressed Twi’lek female, her scanty underwear revealing much of her orange skin and lush curves. Perfect. Lupe pointed towards the signboard, and said flatly: “I’m sure you’ll remember her. See you at sunset. Keep your emergency channels open.” With those words, she turned around and walked away.

Fang received another whack on his helmet as his gaze wandered over the signboard for a bit too long, before Claw dragged him away from the place, to find some distraction until sunset. Twist was ready to walk into a different direction, but remained at the spot when he noticed Ragnar was frozen to the ground. The sergeant just stood there, looking at their general as she disappeared into the distance. “S-Sarge, are you a-alright?” Twist cautiously asked, after changing to a more private comm channel.

Ragnar snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards Twist. He wanted to say he was, but when he looked at his brother, he let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t see Twist’s face, but he could feel his concern. “I, er- might have said something to the General that- that I shouldn’t have said,” he finally admitted, double checking that he was on a private comm channel with Twist. “A-about the objective?” Twist inquired, resulting in Ragnar shaking his head immediately. “No, earlier. I, er- we had a conversation concerning Fives,” he let out with another sigh.

Twist put his hand on the sergeant’s shoulder, before easing his mind: “S-Sarge, just talk to her. S-she’ll come around. You know s-she’s very understanding.” Ragnar sighed again, as he started scratching the narrow bit of bare skin between his helmet and his blacks, which he was still wearing below his temporary outfit. “Yeah, guess you’re right, as always,” he said at last, letting go of some of his tension. A modest smile below his helmet. “I’ll just.. I’ll wait until tonight. Need some time to figure out what to say. Find the right words this time,” he said slowly, not sure yet how he could get a moment with her alone. Twist nodded, before reassuring: “S-she’ll understand.”

---

Sunset. It was almost time for their rendezvous, and although Lupe was looking forward to continue the mission without any more altercations, she was reluctant about getting back to their rendezvous point. As she rounded the last corner, she froze at the spot when she noticed Ragnar there, and Ragnar only. She didn’t want to be childish about it, but she couldn’t handle this conversation right now; not when the mission’s success was at stake. So without looking, she stepped backwards, back into the alley she came from, hoping he hadn't spotted her yet.

Almost immediately, she bumped into someone, and her heart dropped. The last thing she could use right now, was getting into a fight with some spice addict, a swindler, or even worse, a Pyke envoy. Her mind was racing, already searching for possible solutions to get the least bad outcome to this situation, when she turned around and noticed a familiar outfit. “Twist,” she sighed out of relief, briefly hanging her head as she caught her breath, letting go of some of the tension.

Twist gently tapped her on the helmet to get her attention, and she looked up at him again. “T-turn to comm ch-channel 2407.8,” he said as quickly as he possibly could. She shot into focus immediately, concern washing over her, afraid something had happened. She turned to the channel, nodding towards Twist when she was in. “You don’t s-seem yourself, s-sir,” Twist said carefully, not wanting to push her in any way, but trying to help her out nonetheless. Lupe was lost for words for a moment; she wasn’t expecting Twist to check in on her.

“Yeah, well.. This last rotation has been.. Interesting,” she managed, not sure if she should bring any of it up. She looked away, but she knew Twist’s eyes were prying at her through his visor. “Stop it,” she whispered, more to herself than to Twist, but she noticed Twist turning his gaze away immediately, as he started to shift on his feet and got all nervous again. Now she had done it; now she had managed to get half her squad into uncomfortable positions. “No no no, Twist, I-,” she started, but she interrupted herself as she was struggling to get her helmet off.

Twist tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t let him. She wasn’t a clone, so there would be no consequences if she took it off. “Kriff this,” she said as soon as she had managed, tossing the helmet to the ground. “I’m never gonna wear a helmet again after this mission.” Her hair was a cluttered mess, as it had gotten all tangled up under her helmet. Irritated, she tried wiping it out of her face before she turned to Twist again. “Twist, I’m sorry, I meant that to myself. Today’s been-”

She interrupted herself again, as tufts of hair in front of her face were still hindering her, pricking her eyes and tickling her skin. She groaned and closed her eyes, letting her head tilt backwards in frustration. A very gentle touch to her face brought her back to reality, and when she opened her eyes, she noticed Twist was tenderly fixing the strands of hair, getting them out of her face. Dearest Twist, she thought, whilst an affectionate smile appeared on her face.

She was finally able to balance her emotions again. “Thank you, Twist,” she whispered, and he nodded at her before picking up her helmet and handing it back to her. She accepted it and put it on again, allowing them to continue the conversation over the private comm channel. “As I was saying. I’ve been a shu'shuk* today and I think I’ve pushed Ragnar away. And now I’m afraid my actions might affect the mission,” she finally poured her heart out, before adding with a whisper: “And might affect the squad.”

*shu’shuk = disaster, big screw-up, etc.

Twist smiled below his helmet, even though she couldn't see it. “S-sir, we're not t-that easily p-pushed away. And you're p-part of the s-squad now; you're p-part of us.” He paused for a moment, before continuing: “T-talk to Ragnar, he'll u-understand.” She swallowed away the emotions that were trying to erupt at his words, which were exactly what she needed to hear. For a brief moment, she placed her hand on the side of Twist's helmet. “Thank you. And I will,” she said to him, now extremely thankful that she had bumped into him after all.

But the sun was setting, and they had to continue their mission. Lupe shot a quick look around the corner, and noticed Claw and Fang had joined up with Ragnar by now. “Seems we're late to the party,” she joked to Twist, and he was just glad to hear a tone of amusement in her voice again, after today's tensions.

“Heh, got lost, sir?” Fang shot at them when they finally reached the rendezvous point. Ragnar shot him a stern look, although it was lost under his helmet. After all the tensions, he just couldn't understand why Fang would say things like this, with the probability of making things even worse. Was he ever serious about anything? He groaned softly.

But Lupe's spirits seemed to have been lifted. “Luckily Twist found me and put me back on the right track,” she said casually, before turning towards Twist and granting him a quick, subtle nod. Ragnar wondered what that meant, but kept his mouth shut. He had said enough this last rotation to sour the mood.

“Alright, I did some recon and found the perfect spot,” Lupe continued, gesturing to them to follow her. “There's an abandoned building nearby; we can use the roof without potential residents getting suspicious.” As soon as they reached the building, she added: “Go make yourselves comfortable, I have to take care of one last thing first.”

As a few ‘yessirs’ echoed through their helmets, Ragnar watched the General walk off again. He wondered if this was his cue, if he should follow her to talk things out, but when he made the slightest indication he was going to follow her, Twist put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Wait,” he said quietly, looking at his sergeant through his visor, before following behind Claw and Fang to ascend the roof. Ragnar sighed, but followed Twist's advice anyway. His brother seemed to always be right, after all.

It didn't take long for Lupe to join them on the rooftop, and when she did, she was carrying food and drinks. “I come bearing gifts,” she said with an amused tone to her voice. She put everything down and Fang came jolting forward immediately, ready to still his hunger. Claw followed behind a bit more restrained. “We, er- thought it was gonna be another meal of ration bars,” he said carefully, as the scent of the food slowly made it inside his helmet and his mouth started to water.

Lupe chuckled, as she sat down and removed her helmet. Her hair was less of a mess than before. “Well, we don't know how long we'll be stuck here, so gotta keep things fun,” she said with a smile. She made sure the boys helped themselves to some food and drinks before taking any herself.

When the food was gone and their bellies were satisfied, the darkness had gathered around them. The mood had been good, and even as Lupe would have liked to continue their comradery, they had a mission to complete. “Alright boys, time to get on with the mission. Since we'll be here for a while, let's take shifts to observe the objective’s residence.” They nodded to her in agreement.

“Alright, I'll take the first shift, along with Tw-” Lupe interrupted herself when she noticed Twist shaking his head vigorously, before he subtly nodded into Ragnar's direction. Ah, right. “Ragnar, you're with me,” she said at last. “The three of you, get some rest.” Claw and Fang nodded, before finding a place to lay down and get some sleep. As Ragnar got up and found his way to the edge of the building, Twist shot Lupe an encouraging nod before he made himself scarce.

Lupe took a deep breath before positioning herself at Ragnar’s side. They laid down, peeking over the edge, their visual on the residence. Some quick to-the-point remarks concerning the mission, but nothing more.

It was only a while later, when he was sure they wouldn't get interrupted by any of his brothers, Ragnar found the courage to address their earlier friction. “Lupe..,” he started, after clearing his throat. Apparently, she had been ready for this conversation, as she replied in an instant: “Ragnar, you've made it pretty clear you don't like him, but I do.” Her voice had lost its earlier edge to it, but it was still serious. He couldn't help but notice some hurt in it, which put him off guard. “Lup- Sir, it's just that.. Nevermind.”

The air was heavy with suspense and Ragnar could hear Lupe swallow at his side. “Speak up. That’s an order,” she said at last. He noticed a slight tremble to her voice, and although she gave him an order, he wondered if she was really in her role as a General right now. He took a moment to carefully formulate his words, as making things worse was the last thing he wanted. This had already affected the squad enough, and it had only been one rotation. Besides, he hated seeing his General like this, and he detested himself for being the cause of it.

“I.. I don't trust him. He's got a reputation. Please, just- Just be careful around him,” he sighed, his voice low and quiet, but she could hear him alright. She was getting riled up again; why was it so hard for Ragnar to understand he was wrong about Fives, to notice he made her happy and feel loved? “Duly noted, thank you sergeant, but I can take care of myself,” she replied flatly, not taking her gaze away from the objective's residence. “General, sir, I-I-,” he stammered, clearly lost for words. Why was it so hard for Lupe to understand he said all this because he cared for her, because she was part of the squad; because she was family?

Lupe shot him a haunting look; it was a mixture of bitterness, incomprehension and hurt. He had to set this right, for the sake of the squad’s dynamics - and for his own peace of mind. “Lupe.. I’m only saying this because we care- Because I care about you,” he said at last, a softness to it she wasn't used to, not coming from her sergeant. “I’m afraid he’s going to hurt you. Break your heart. I don't want to see you get hurt.”

Silence. Lupe had averted her gaze again, but it clearly wasn't directed towards their target this time. Only when his words had dawned on her, she let out a relieved chuckle, as she bumped her fist into his shoulder. “Maker, why didn't you just say so?” Ragnar let all his tension go with a deep sigh. “I-I thought it was obvious,” he elaborated, before Lupe let out a short, cynical laugh. “Yeah, well, welcome to the female brain,” she blurted out.

This time it was Ragnar who chuckled. “You're the first female I shared a real conversation with,” he admitted, resulting in the most genuine smile he'd seen on Lupe's face since they started this mission. “I guess things don't get as complicated with your brothers,” she said softly, as she briefly put her head on his shoulder in a way to comfort him, to show her compassion; it made his heart skip a beat.

He swallowed before continuing the conversation. “You're my vod too,” he finally said. Since they had talked things out and he was already getting soft with her, there was no need to keep this from her any longer. She withdrew her head, and for a moment, he thought he screwed up again. “You.. You alright?” he shot at her with concern.

Just for a second, he thought she was wiping away a tear. But when she looked back at him, there was nothing to be seen, except for the most heartwarming smile on her beautiful face. “Yeah, I just- Have never heard someone call me that before,” she whispered, and he returned the smile, although much more restrained than he would have liked to share with her.

When the time came for the next shift, Lupe and Ragnar got to their feet. Before waking up Claw and Fang, they lingered at their recon spot for a little longer. “Thanks for the rollercoaster of emotions today,” Lupe said to Ragnar jokingly, a smirk adorning her face. Ragnar, finally comfortable again with a bit of bantering, replied: “I thought the Jedi were good at putting those away.” Another cynical laugh from Lupe, as she shook her head. “Yeah, well, in that case, I suck at being both a General and a Jedi.” Ragnar put a comforting hand on her shoulder, before easing her mind. “We couldn't have asked for a better option for either of them.”

---

It took them a few rotations to figure out their objective's patterns. They had spotted some scout parties from different origins, and knew they had to be careful not to reveal themselves and thus the Republic's involvement. They had to come up with a plan to get in contact with the objective, to ensure a discreet pick-up.

“Our best chance is early evening, when he takes his daily stroll through the streets. It's relatively quiet at that hour, so least chance of any unwanted attention,” Lupe concurred with her squad. “I have something in mind to notify the objective in a subtle way. Who of you is best at acting?”

Without a word or any debate, all the boys turned towards Fang, shooting him almost accusative glances. It took him a moment to realise, but when he did, he shrugged. “What? It helps handle things a bit less seriously,” he elaborated, resulting in a chuckle from Lupe; she should have known. “Great, keep that thought,” she told him, before continuing: “Listen up Fang, this is what we're gonna do..”

---

When the streets got quieter that evening, the squad was in position. Twist was still on their rooftop, overlooking their surroundings to keep an eye out on everyone, ready to alert them if they would attract any unwanted attention. Ragnar and Claw lingered at different corners of the street to move in if any assistance was needed. Lupe and Fang were waiting at different spots, ready to start the next phase of their plan once the objective would make it outside.

The door slid open, and their objective, a Sullustan male, appeared. He was wearing typical native headgear on his wide head, a pair of large ears protruding it. Underneath his dark and gleaming eyes were two flaps of jowls adorning his cheeks. His small posture didn’t make for a very intimidating appearance. “Go,” Lupe shot at Fang through their built-in comm devices, as soon as the objective had made it outside his residence. The Sullustan strolled away from his porch, and just when he rounded a corner, Fang came walking up from the opposite direction. His stride was grand and somewhat exaggerated; his shoulders widened to make them look broader than they really were.

Fang threw his whole body in when he hit the unknowing Sullustan, making him crash to the ground in an instant. He could have done with a little less effort, since the objective didn't even reach a cadet's size. When the Sullustan realised what had happened, Fang loomed over him, whilst slowly growling: “Di’kut*..” Twist had done such a great job at modifying Fang’s voice regulator, making it sound low and threatening.

*Di’kut = idiot, useless individual, waste of space

The Sullustan cowered behind one arm, trying to apologise but too intimidated to utter any intelligible words. At that very moment, Lupe came marching towards the spectacle. In her best Mando’a - no one here besides the clones would notice her pronunciation was less smooth than the boys’ - she started shouting at Fang. She made sure to add some swear words and phrases, since those were the first ones she had remembered correctly when she started learning Mando’a. She couldn't wait to tell Sinker and Boost she was finally able to use it to assist a mission.

She hit Fang in the chest plate, making him step backwards in defeat, like a massiff being scolded by its owner. The Sullustan seemed to relax a little. Lupe spun around to face him, kneeling down to his level, trying to make herself less intimidating. “Please excuse my coworker; he can't help it, he was born rude,” Lupe told the male, using the most comforting tone she could muster towards a stranger. “Here, let me help you,” she continued, reaching her hand towards him. He accepted it, somewhat confused, and she assisted him back to his feet.

When he was standing in front of her, Lupe started apologising again. “I'm very sorry; I promise you this isn't the last he'll be hearing about this,” she said, whilst crossing her arms and turning her helmeted head towards Fang ominously. With a small voice, since he still hadn't fully regained himself from this intimidating encounter, he tried telling her it was alright. She nodded a silent goodbye, before grabbing Fang by the arm and dragging him away, tossing in some more Mando’a scolding. They left the Sullustan behind, newly confused as he fidgeted with something in his hand.

When they reached a safe distance, Fang returned their conversation to their comm devices. “Sir, with all due respect; that was duse*. I counted at least seven mispronunciations.” Claw added from a distance: “Don't forget the incorrect usage of some of those words.” Lupe snickered at them. “Well, you two are very welcome to criticise my Mando’a - as soon as you best me in a lightsaber duel,” she shot back at them. “That's not fair, lightsaber practice wasn't part of our basic training,” Fang yammered in return. Lupe bumped her fist into his upper arm. “And Mando'a wasn't in mine; see how this goes both ways?” Fang could only groan in return, as he rubbed the spot where she had just hit him.

*duse = rubbish, waste (garbage)

As the sun was setting, they regrouped back on the rooftop. Lupe took her helmet off, glad to feel some fresh air on her skin again. “Were you able to hand him the note?” Ragnar asked her as soon as he made it to her side. She nodded affirmatively, before turning her head towards Fang. “Hopefully Fang didn't scare him off too much, with his convincing acting skills,” she said with a grin. “What can I say? I'm a natural,” Fang said with a shrug, resulting in laughter from the squad.

---

Early in the evening during the next rotation, the squad had found its way towards a new rendezvous spot. Lupe had deemed it best to meet up one rotation after their little theatre play, so the Sullustan could incorporate it into his next day’s stroll. Hopefully this way, the objective leaving his home would draw as little attention from other scouting parties as possible.

They had picked a rendezvous point at an old, abandoned square. The ruinous buildings surrounding it gave off an ominous atmosphere. A monumental statue at the centre was a memory to a bygone era. Lupe and Twist found themselves facing the monument, whilst the others were scouting the area from rooftops of nearby constructions.

“You th-think there will be m-m-monuments of the w-war, once it's o-over?” Twist asked her, his voice distant whilst he was looking up at the forgotten statue, as it stood broken in front of them, not withstanding the test of time. Lupe put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I'm personally gonna raise hell if there won't be any; it's the least they can do to remember all of you, after all the clones’ sacrifices,” she said softly. She knew a smile would be lost on him, hidden below her helmet; but she smiled anyway.

As the darkness crept over the square and the time of their proposed meeting lapsed, they all got restless, an uneasiness taking a hold on them. “You all realise there's a chance he doesn't show up?” Claw finally spoke out everyone's fears. “Yeah, maybe your note wasn't too clear, sir. What did you write down again?” Fang continued his twin's suspicions. Lupe sighed out of frustration; they had already gone over this before delivering the message to the objective. “‘Return the Queen's Jewels’, including time and location,” she replied. She had chosen these specific words as a nod towards Coruscant’s nicknames, Queen or Jewel of the Core Worlds. The part of return should have been obvious.

But all Fang could muster was: “Sounds pretty cryptic to me.” Another sigh from Lupe, this time more annoyed. “Well, none of you came up with a better option. Besides, I couldn't just scribble down: ‘Here’s your ride to Coruscant, nice to have you on our side! Kind regards, the Republic’, could I?” She heard some static chuckling over her comm. In all its seriousness, Ragnar's voice broke through the subdued laughter. “He used to work for SoroSuub Corporation; he's a smart guy, he'll figure it out.”

“Or s-something happened on h-his way h-here,” Twist added, resulting in a moment of silence as everyone took in those menacing words. “Kriff, one of us should have stayed behind, keeping an eye on the objective,” Lupe blurted out, breaking the silence. The word ‘shu'shuk’ entered her mind again; she thought everything within the squad had finally been back to normal.

Just when she started to question herself again, especially her capability as a Jedi General, the redeeming words came in over their comm devices. “Objective inbound,” Ragnar's voice sounded, abruptly ending the discussion. Relief washed over Lupe, but there was no time to relax; she and Twist shot into focus, getting ready to face the Sullustan. “Let me know if you spot anything out of the ordinary,” she told the boys, before she headed for the objective.

“You must be Gra Neb. Thanks for meeting us; I'm glad we didn't scare you off,” Lupe spoke with a kind voice as soon as she reached him. Neb, the Sullustan, halted some steps away, not fully trusting the situation. He narrowed his big, mouse-like eyes before addressing Lupe. “How do I know you're on the right side?”

It was a fair question, and Lupe understood the Sullustan's restraint. She gently nudged Twist forward. “Will a squad of clones suffice?” she asked, nodding approvingly towards Twist to show his face for a brief moment; which he did. Neb’s eyes seemed to narrow even further. “Could be a defected one,” he shot out, and Twist's eyebrows wrinkled in hurt when he put the helmet over his face again. Lupe pressed her lips into a thin line before she discreetly showed her lightsaber, hidden at her belt below some rags.

Neb’s eyes widened, and for a moment, Lupe thought he finally believed them. But he crossed his short arms and almost accusingly, he shot at her: “Those can be bought on the black market.” Lupe let out a long, deep sigh. “Tough crowd,” she whispered, but loud enough for the squad to hear over their comms. “I guess you'll have to trust us. Doesn't seem like you have a lot of options left,” she said at last, quickly adding: “No offence.”

Just as the Sullustan started to protest again, Lupe's comm channel whirred up. “Uninvited guests at the south exit,” Claw warned the squad, moments before Lupe laid eyes on the newcomers. Instinctively, she positioned herself between their objective and the incoming threat, but she realised she couldn't use her lightsaber - not unless in dire need -, because it would give them away. It would tell them she was most likely a Jedi, and thus betraying the Republic's interference.

But since the arriving party didn't engage in a stand-off immediately, Lupe thought sharing a conversation wouldn't hurt. Her gaze slid over the colourful attendees, and since the party consisted of mostly Gossams with a few additional Sullustans, Lupe was quick to figure out their background. “Let me guess, Commerce Guild?” she shot out, as casually as possible, when they finally halted within hearing range. They wouldn't have been slightly intimidating if not for the array of battle droids that accompanied the group.

A female Gossam with wrinkled, blue skin addressed her, faking an amused attitude; she didn't seem very intimidated by these mere adversaries they were now facing. “Very perspective of you. Now please hand over our asset,” she spoke out, granting Lupe a slightly annoyed look, as if the situation just bored her. At least Lupe had been right about one thing: the Kessel System was proving interesting.

Lupe crossed her arms and started shaking her head in disagreement. “Afraid not. He's coming with us,” she said confidently. The Gossam was doing no effort to hide her irritation by now. “And who exactly is us?” she asked with a cold tone to her voice. Lupe shot a quick glance at Twist, trying to come up with a plausible answer. “The Pyke Syndicate sends its regards,” she replied at last, since pretending to be involved with the SoroSuub Corporation would be very unbelievable; it was a subsidiary of the Commerce Guild itself.

Probably not the best answer after all. Not trusting how this choice of words might escalate the situation, Lupe quickly turned to their internal comm channel. “Claw, how, er- how quickly can you get the ship here?” she asked cautiously, keeping her eyes on the party in front of her. “Just keep ‘em busy as long as you can, sir,” came Claw's response. Lupe swallowed: “Yeah, well, please hurry.”

The Gossam narrowed her eyes as the whole situation became more suspicious with every sentence exchanged. “The Pykes do not hire mercenaries to do their filthy work. They clean up their own messes.” Yeah, as expected. Lupe put her hands on her hips when she replied. “Yeah, and we don't ask questions when hired. That's why we clean up, er-.. Messes.”

She could slap herself in the face right now; she wasn't very proud of the remark, as it had been far from her usual wit. “Nice comeback, sir,” she heard Claw panting over the comm as he was running towards the shuttle, and she knew the audible chuckle came from Fang. She shushed them before returning her focus on the Gossam. As expected, she didn't buy any of it.

“You know, it doesn't matter who you are once we're done with you. So I'll give you one last chance; hand over the asset,” the Gossam made clear, all signs of charm and forced niceness gone by now. Lupe and Twist tensed, fully aware of what would happen next. Without thinking, their hands hovered over their blasters, ready to get them out in an instant. Without looking, Lupe nudged Neb right behind her, shielding him from what was to come. “Not. A. Chance,” she slowly growled towards the Gossam.

The Commerce Guild spokesperson sighed, before shrugging her scrawny shoulders. “Have it your way,” she answered, before snapping her fingers. The battle droids started advancing and aiming their weapons at them. “Nothing more warming than a get-together with clankers, eh?” Lupe shot out over their comm channel, as she quickly looked around her surroundings to find cover. She couldn't use her lightsaber, so she had to do this the regular way.

Dirt and dust erupted from the surface when the droids’ laser bolts hit it. Both Lupe and Twist had drawn their blasters by now and were returning the fire. Ragnar and Fang joined in from the rooftops, resulting in some surprised looks from the Guild members.

“Grab Neb!” Fang called, and he couldn't help but howl a quick laughter at his own wordplay. “Is everything a kriffing joke to you?” Ragnar shot at him over the comm channel. Fang chuckled in return. “Like the General says; gotta keep things fun!” he elaborated. A pause when Ragnar found an opportunity to hit multiple droids at fatal spots, before adding: “You and I have a different definition to the word fun.” “That’s why you’re the sergeant, and I’m not!” Fang replied with a chuckle.

Lupe and Twist had found some cover behind the statue's pedestal, dragging Neb with them on their way. Blaster fire was shot back and forth during an intense stand-off, and Lupe scolded about not being able to use her lightsaber or being able to improve their situation with some Force induced aid.

Just when the droids started to close in on their current position, and Lupe felt the dire need of using her lightsaber was near now, they all heard the familiar sound of their shuttle approaching. A surge of relief washed over Lupe. Claw piloted the ship between them and the Guild members, crushing some droids in the process, before Lupe dragged Neb to his feet. “Go, go, go!” she shouted, as they ran towards the ship's boarding walk. She notified Claw as soon as they had made it inside, and with a smooth movement, he turned the ship around and ascended it simultaneously, making sure the extended boarding walk was facing the rooftops.

Lupe and Twist positioned themselves at the ship's entrance, reaching out to catch them when Ragnar and Fang made the jump. “Get us the kriff out of here!” Lupe shot at Claw as soon as they were all inside, and he didn't wait a moment longer to guide them away from the scene, as blaster fire left scorch marks on the shuttle's hull. The clones all positioned themselves at their usual spots, aiding in their retreat, whilst Lupe guided the startled Sullustan towards a bench.

“Sorry about that, but I told you you didn't have a lot of options left,” she told him with a smirk, making sure to wipe it from her face before she took her helmet off. Neb looked up at her face, lost for words as he was still taking in everything that had happened on the surface. “Let's get you to Coruscant,” she said to him kindly, patting him on the shoulder before making her way to the cockpit.

“That was close,” she sighed as soon as she was in her squad's company, as they all seemed to be catching their breaths. “Thanks for the quick pick-up,” she added, putting a hand on Claw's shoulder as he was flying the ship into space, away from Kepler, and hopefully out of the Kessel System soon.

…

Epilogue

The Sullustan had been delivered to Coruscant, and his well-being was now out of their hands; they weren't responsible for him anymore. It was up to Gra Neb himself now, to share his experiences and knowledge from his time with SoroSuub Corporation to aid the Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The squad was ready to return their temporary outfits to the Republic military base, anticipating to get into their usual attire again. Lupe was mostly looking forward to getting rid of her helmet.

In a spare moment, when she claimed some brief minutes alone, she found the opportunity to comm Fives. “You said what?” he laughed over the comm transmission, after she had given him a summary of their mission. “The Pykes were the first ones to come to mind. What would you have said?” she shot back at him, an amused tone to her voice. “When in doubt, always use the Hutts,” he chuckled at her, and the sound of it made her heart both melt and ache.

A deep sigh from Lupe told Fives about her longing feelings. “I, er- could use some time alone. With you. Gotta come up with a plan,” she admitted, adding to Fives’ suspicions. “Already got one,” he replied in an almost sing-song voice. “Wait for my signal,” he added mysteriously, before they said their quick goodbyes and went on with their businesses.

So I guess getting vodzoned is now a thing. Also I wrote most of this chapter by accident (I hope it all makes sense).

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lonewolflupe · 2 months ago

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aLoF ch14 | Inevitability Of The Mind's Abyss

Hey ho how are you holding up after last week's chapter? I'm not over it so have another chapter flowing with (sad) emotions. At least there's a bit more comfort here, before I continue trampling all over Lupe's emotions next week! Enjoy (while it lasts)!

Summary: trying to cope with recent events, Lupe remembers she doesn't have to deal with her loss in solitude Rating: Teen and up Tags: light angst, swearing (usage of slang; kriff/kriffing = fuck/fucking, kark = shit), emotional hurt/comfort Words: 3.039 Characters: Lupe (OC), Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 Captain Rex, Trooper Ragnar (OC), Trooper Claw (OC), Trooper Fang (OC), Trooper Twist (OC), unidentified clone troopers aLoF masterlist | AO3 ficlet < | ↓ | > ficlet | > ch15

19 BBY, Coruscant | Jedi Temple

(Shortly before the Battle of Anaxes)

Change is a fundamental characteristic of life; death is a natural part of it. Show love, care and compassion for the totality of life, without forming attachments to individuals. Attachment is the inability to accept the transitional nature of life; it is selfish and can be harmful, a pathway to the dark side of the Force. Thus, attachment is forbidden.

Lupe's eyelids twitched as she reluctantly recited the Jedi Code in her mind. She was hoping her training and her beliefs would help her pull herself together, get a grip on her feelings. But after everything that had happened, she started questioning her beliefs and all her training started to fade; every bit of common sense seemed to be abandoning her. But she tried to push away the intrusive thoughts anyway, continuing her meditation.

Accept the transitional nature of life. Accept death, as it is a part of it. Death is only a transition from the Living Force into the Cosmic Force; the dead, although their individuality lost, become a part of the Force.

Lupe groaned in frustration. What was attachment other than showing love, care and compassion towards certain individuals, like clones? Why was it wrong to share these traits? Didn't they deserve it, to be loved and cared for? And what was wrong with individuality; wasn't it the one thing the clones had strived for, the only thing they wanted for themselves? Kriff this.

Not gone, merely marching far away.

Now that was more soothing than any of the Jedi Code that currently came to mind. Sure, it might have the same essence as becoming part of the Cosmic Force after one's death. But at least this phrase didn't strip them of their individuality.

But wait, if the Jedi were supposed to be loving, caring and compassionate, why the kriff did they order an army of clones - as easily as placing an order for a droid army - to be thrown towards their deaths, just as those droids were ordered towards their destruction? By ordering an army of clones - living, breathing sentient beings -, did they think it would be more humane this way? Did they even think this through?

Lupe was getting all riled up again; her thoughts became too much. After taking a deep breath, she collapsed her face into her hands. She shouldn't be thinking about the Jedi ways like this, but she couldn't help it. After everything that had happened, nothing made sense and nothing seemed fair. Her galaxy was shattered, taken from her, and she felt she was left alone in a black hole, devouring her. And her galaxy wasn't there to pull her out any longer.

As tears flowed from her eyes and she was softly sobbing Fives’ name, the door to her small, sober room whooshed open. She hadn't even noticed the knocking, and didn't bother looking up as she sat on the floor, continuing her crying in silence. “Hey Lupe,” Anakin's voice sounded softly from her room’s threshold. She was glad it was him; she didn't know if she would have had the strength to face anyone else, even her former Master.

“I'm sorry.. I'm sorry for intruding, I just wanted- needed to check on you,” he continued, whilst slowly walking over to her. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed, a position most Jedi used for meditation. Anakin cautiously sat down opposite her. When she looked up at him, finally managing to pull her face from her hands, she noticed a faint smile on his face, and his eyes - although a bit dark, as he was trying to cope with his own losses - were filled with concern.

“Did- did Wolffe send you?” she asked him in a whisper, remembering how the Commander had shown his concerns recently, after she might have gone on some sort of alcohol related rampage.* Anakin shook his head. “No, Rex did. He told me you haven't shown your face around the barracks in.. Quite some rotations,” he elaborated, slightly tilting his head as his gaze was fixed on Lupe’s. He continued: “And we found that highly irregular. And since the clones do not venture this deep into the Temple..”

*see endnote

She had stopped crying and as her gaze slowly wandered away from Anakin’s, he noticed a blank expression in her eyes. He sighed, before placing his hand on her knee. “Lupe, I know it's hard and.. And unfair. Believe me, I do. But there's still something worth living for, people caring for you, ready to support you, to be there for you. You just.. Need to allow them.”

Lupe swallowed and her eyebrows wrinkled as she tried to hold back more tears. “It's- it's so hard, Anakin. I'm not even allowed to mourn him out in the open,” she said with a trembling voice. Anakin squeezed her knee. “I know, believe me, I know. I.. I don't always agree with the Jedi ways either, trust me. But if you cannot fathom them right now, do it for the clones. You've always been there for them, and you know they care for you too.”

The genuine smile on Anakin's face and his understanding words were comforting to Lupe, and she mustered a faint smile. She knew he was right, but it didn't make it any less difficult. As he got back to his feet, he added: “They'll help you get through. And you're always welcome to find me for a chat, if I'm around,” he said with a wink, before offering her his hand to help her get up.

She hesitated at first, but at last, reached for it determined. He was right. She didn't know how to continue as a Jedi at this point, but she knew she could continue as a friend, perhaps even as a General, towards the clones. And the thought of the war lingered in the back of her head; there were still battles to be fought, a Republic to be protected, lives to be saved.

“Alright, I'll walk you to the barracks. I'll help you sidetrack nosy Jedi, if we encounter any,” Anakin said with a smirk. Lupe nodded, feeling better instantly, and joined him at the door. But before he could open it, her thoughts shifted back, a gloomy shadow re-entering her mind. “Anakin, how.. How do you cope with the no attachments-rule?” she asked softly, slightly hesitantly, feeling uncomfortable by mentioning it.

Anakin swallowed before he looked her in the eyes, a silence as he searched for the right words. A darkness seemed to form behind his eyes, but she didn't know if that's what she really saw, or if her mind was playing tricks on her. “I don't,” he finally admitted, before turning towards the door again. “Why would you rein in your feelings if you have so much compassion to offer?”

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks

The hallways of the barracks were as bustling as ever. Lupe's mood lightened up immediately when she found herself surrounded by clones again. Anakin looked at the expression on her face amusedly, as troopers saluted her and shot her remarks like ‘glad to have you back, sir’ and ‘happy to see you around again’.

As soon as she noticed Rex, the light in her eyes returned. He came walking straight at them, a broad smile on his face. “General, glad you could make it,” he said to Lupe as soon as they were in hearing range, a respectful nod towards his General when he reached them. “Rex, I- it's good to be back,” she said at last, soft but genuine.

“Good to have you back, sir,” he said softly, whilst putting his hand on her shoulder for a brief moment, before turning towards Anakin. “General Skywalker, there has been a briefing. We're being sent to the Azure System alongside Generals Windu and Kenobi, to secure the Republic shipyards on Anaxes,” Rex informed him, shifting to a pragmatic demeanour instantly.

Anakin nodded, immediately ready to fight this upcoming battle. “Alright, seems like this catching up has to wait for another time,” he shot out hurriedly. “Rex, make sure the men get themselves ready.” A slight smirk appeared on Rex’s face as he nodded towards his General. “Already gave the order, sir.”

Lupe took a step back, giving the men space as they interacted. She would have liked a few more moments with them, but it was war; she knew they had to be on their way. Before he ran off, Lupe put her hand on Anakin's arm. “Thank you,” she whispered, and she didn't need any more words to show him her gratitude. Anakin offered her a comforting smile in return. “Don't let it consume you,” he added softly, putting his hand on hers for a brief moment, before running off towards the hangar.

Rex lingered for a few more moments; he needed to tell Lupe about Fives, what had happened during his last rotations. He was still unsure what Fives’ findings meant, how to continue the research, what significance it held for the ongoing war. But this was neither the time nor the place; it had to wait until his return. He nodded a goodbye, before hurrying himself after his General.

Lupe remained in the hallway. A sudden cold feeling took her in its grasp and she felt a shiver running down her spine. She didn't understand what it meant; she had actually felt better in Anakin's and Rex’s company. But it had been something in Rex’s eyes, something unspoken between them.. She suddenly felt alone again, small and lost; alone and forsaken.

She could just return to her dark, sober room in the Jedi Temple, but she knew she would fall back into her latest habit of solitude, dark thoughts devouring her. No, she needed to start getting a grip on herself again, and she knew what - or who - could help her with that, could make her feel better. She continued her way through the corridors of the GAR barracks.

—

An exaggerated exclamation of frustration after an array of knives failed to hit their targets - one of them landing recklessly close to Ragnar. The sergeant snorted irritatedly before turning towards his brother. “Fang, keep your kark together,” he shot at him, his authoritarian position becoming clear from his demeanour.

Fang shrugged before he let his arms hang beside his body in dismay. “Yeah, sorry Sarge, it's just.. It's been a while since we've been on a mission,” he sighed. It wasn't only frustration and impatience in his voice; there was concern as well, a feeling they knew all too well at this point.

“We're all getting a bit restless,” Claw elaborated, putting a comforting hand on his twin's shoulder. “Even Twist, although he wouldn't admit it,” Fang added, gesturing towards their little brother, as Twist looked up in confusion when his name was getting dragged into a discussion again. “Can't admit s-something if you don't a-ask,” he tried biting back at Fang, but he was never really the one for snarky remarks.

Ragnar sighed as he leaned his lower back against a crate in the training room, folding his arms. “The General just needs a bit more time. She'll show her face when she's ready,” he tried to explain, hoping it would ease his brothers in their unrest. Fang shrugged in defeat and they all went back to their training.

“I knew that ARC trooper was going to break her heart,” he whispered under his breath, inaudible to the others. He had said this so many times before, to his brothers, to Fives and even to Lupe herself, to shield her from getting hurt. He had always spoken them with distrust, a layer of bitterness to his words. But this time, there was only sadness in his voice. He had never meant it this way; Fives breaking her heart by dying, leaving her behind with the crushing feeling of loss over a loved one. And although he had never understood what she had seen in Fives, Ragnar could imagine what this loss meant to her; he had always been good at reading Lupe's feelings, figuring out what was going on in that brilliant head of hers.

Ragnar was still very lost in his thoughts when another exclamation of Fang echoed through the room. He was almost ready to scold his brother again when it dawned on him what Fang had said. “Lupe..,” his brother had said out loud, like he always did when he finally noticed her standing in the doorway during a training session. It had always been enthusiastically, with anticipation; affectionately, even. Not this time. Besides the evident concern, there was shock and anxiousness; Fang seemed almost stunned when his gaze locked on their General.

When Ragnar looked up at her, he understood why. Even from this distance, he could see- he could feel her whole demeanour was off; she was just a shell of her former self. She was hesitantly standing at the other end of the threshold, her arms wrapped around her body, as if she was trying to comfort herself. When Fang had betrayed her presence by shouting out her name, she took a few cautious steps inside the room. There was nothing left of her confidence they were used to.

Her hair was a mess, as if she hadn't attended to it in a while. Her skin looked even paler than usual, except for the dark bags below her eyes. And her eyes.. Ragnar had never seen them so hollow before. They used to shine, to glister from amusement, to flicker at their brothers’ shenanigans; they used to hold the galaxy. But they were empty now, like all the stars had died down.

He understood now. She had called Fives her galaxy, and now that he was taken from her, so was her galaxy. He finally understood, and he felt sorry for all the times he had pushed her, for the times he had defied Fives, questioning his intentions. He had been so worried about Fives hurting her feelings, he hadn't been able to see that he was really making her whole. And now it was too late. He could punch himself in the kriffing face.

Twist was the first one to jolt forward. Without a shadow of a doubt, he flung his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist, finally admitting to herself how much she had missed solace from a person's touch during her solitude. Fang and Claw joined them soon after, as most of the squad joined into a group hug.

Lupe tried to get a hold of herself, a grip on her feelings as she pushed away the tears that were burning behind her tired eyes. She just.. She just needed a little comfort, and everything would be a bit better, that was all.

When they finally pulled away from her - cautiously, as they didn't want to let her fall back into solitude -, she noticed Ragnar had advanced. He slowly walked over to her, his brothers making room for him. When he reached her, he didn't hug her; he put his hand on the back of her head and with the utmost care, he guided her forehead against his. And with this seemingly simple gesture, he gave her everything she needed right now.

And it was too much; Lupe broke down. Tears started flowing, wetting her pale cheeks as she started sobbing away her sorrows all over again. Ragnar pulled her against his chest plate, holding her close and supporting her to prevent her from collapsing, as she started shaking and she was close to sinking through her knees. He gently put his cheek against her head as he stroked her back, trying to comfort her, but knowing he couldn't fill the gap in her heart. None of them could.

It took her a while to regain herself. She felt so embarrassed; pouring out her feelings in front of the squad like this. But they didn't mind; although they didn't know the feeling of love and the loss of it like she now did, they did know how it felt to lose a fellow clone; a brother. “I'm sorry,” Lupe whispered as she wiped away her tears. Ragnar gently took her face between his hands, guiding it slightly upwards until their gazes met. “Don't be,” he said softly, granting her a rare smile on his serious face. She managed to return a faint one.

She was shaken from the moment when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned around, she was facing Twist. His eyes were darting back and forth again, not sure where to focus them; he always did that when he was nervous. “I-I-I thought you m-might like one,” he said softly, before reaching his hand out towards hers. When he handed the nervestick over to her, her heart melted. He knew how much she liked them, and he knew how much she could use one right now. “Oh, vod'ika*,” she whispered, and his eyes looked right at hers in an instant, little lights dancing in them as she called him that again.

*vod’ika = little brother

…

Epilogue

Although it didn't make her pain go away, she felt a bit better this afternoon. Due to everything that had happened since Fives’ death, she had forgotten how much she enjoyed her squad's company; how much she cared for them, and they for her. It didn't make the loss any less painful, but at least she still had her Lone Wolves. Maybe there were still some stars left in her seemingly empty galaxy.

And even as they were still at war and she knew anything could happen, being well aware of any possible casualties during missions, she knew she could count on the clones - her clones. They would be around her, and she needed them - now more than ever. She knew she would collapse if it wasn't for them, fall into a dark and endless abyss if they weren't there to keep her from the edge.

The abyss was dangerously close and was almost inviting her to stumble over the edge.

Not yet.

*Commander Wolffe showing his concerns is a reference to a ficlet/short story I haven't written yet, I AM SO SORRY! The alcohol rampage is a reference to the ficlet/short story A Fox Encounter

Alright I'm going to mentally prepare for next week's chapter

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lonewolflupe · 3 months ago

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aLoF ch7 | Sporting Sabotage

Get ready for some more action with the Lone Wolf Squad! This chapter has been so much fun to write, I really hope you'll enjoy it! I've already written a few more upcoming chapters with the boys, and I'm curious what you'll think about the character developments/squad dynamics. I've really grown on these clones!

Summary: the Lone Wolves find themselves on another mission that will test their skills and wit as a team Rating: Teen and up Tags: canon-typical violence, light angst (injuries), swearing (usage of slang) Words: 6.649k Characters: Lupe (OC), Trooper Ragnar (OC), Trooper Claw (OC), Trooper Fang (OC), Trooper Twist (OC), unidentified clone medics, CC-3636 Commander Wolffe (cameo) aLoF masterlist | AO3 ch6 < | ↓ | > ch8

21 BBY, Outer Rim | Atravis Sector | Basanos (Separatist Occupied Planet)

The shuttle was shaking hazardously due to the turbulence as Claw piloted it through the storm. The sky was ominously dark, thunderbolts flashing around them, gusts of wind tossing them about. Claw needed all his strength and focus to keep the shuttle on course. As the troopers were all seated in the shuttle, Lupe stood behind the pilot seat. She had a firm grip on the seat’s backrest as she was trying to keep her balance. It would be wiser to sit down, but she had to guide Claw through this storm by using the Force, as the navicomputer had run amok.

“Slight manoeuvre to your eleven,” she said focussed, her eyes closed. Claw did what she said, and just as he had steered away, a slender, rocky peak appeared on their initial course. Fang swallowed audibly, resulting in Lupe raising an eyebrow. “Ease your mind, Fang; it’s distracting me,” she shot at him, a slight smile on her face as she was partly teasing him. Fang didn’t utter a word, but was wondering how he was supposed to ‘ease his mind’ under these circumstances.

“Lower..,” she said softly, just loud enough for Claw to hear, as he steadily lowered the shuttle. “A notch to your right.. Left again.. And lower..” Claw followed her orders without hesitation. They had been working together for a few missions now, and they had quickly found out that there was no need to question Lupe’s Force-abilities. “Almost now. Decrease speed and ready the landing gear. Slower..” As Claw followed up on the orders, he finally spotted the ground. “That’s your spot,” Lupe pointed out, as she opened her eyes and sighed relieved. Her chest was heaving from her intense Force connection, which had been necessary to guide them safely through the storm.

Claw landed the shuttle slightly less efficient than they were used to, but considering the circumstances, no one was going to complain. They all seemed to start breathing normally again as the shuttle powered down. “I’m not sure how far off we landed from the initial landing point, but at least we survived the landing,” Lupe said, a grin on her face. “Please don’t say things like that,” Fang shot back at her, his heart still beating uncomfortably hard in his chest. “Sorry, Fang. Gotta keep things fun,” she said smiling, as she released her grip from the pilot’s seat to turn around.

As the squad gathered around her, she summarised the mission’s details a last time. “Alright boys, it isn’t gonna be pretty out there,” she warned, as she picked up her Jedi cloak and draped it around her. She didn’t like to wear it, as she felt less flexible in it. And in lots of situations she found herself in, their lives depended on that flexibility. The clones readied themselves before their venture outside, into the pitiful weather conditions.

“Why are we never assigned to a mission on a planet basking in sunlight?” Fang yammered, as he put on his helmet and made sure his blaster was in its holster. Claw shot him a quick, irritated look before putting his own helmet on. “Because that sunlight would blind us all from reflecting off your shiny armour. If you’d start hitting clankers with that blaster of yours, that would help, rookie,” he fired at his brother, before joining Lupe at the shuttle’s door. “I’m as little a rookie as you are!” Fang shot back at him, but his words were lost as the door whooshed open, and the deafening sound of the storm was all they could hear.

Lupe pulled up the rim of her cloak in front of her face as she walked off the ramp. It was hard to orientate, because the sky was almost as black as the basalt surface that surrounded them. As the wind pulled and pushed them, the sharp raindrops clattering down on them, they started their tough road towards their mission’s target.

This dreadful planet, almost forsaken as inhabiting it seemed impossible, was still home to at least one occupant: the Separatists. According to their mission’s intel, somewhere on this half of the planet there was supposed to be a CIS base. The base was accessible with the help of weather regulation, but obviously, that wouldn’t work for them. So they had to find their own way to it.

As they slowly progressed through the unpleasant surroundings, Lupe tried to find them the least unbearable route through the narrow pass. The occasional complaint from Fang was blown away by the wind, or filtered out by the boys’ comm devices. Lupe wasn’t paying any attention to it, as she was too focused on their route. And that was a good thing, as danger lay lurking at every corner.

She knew the Force was warning her when a shiver went down her spine. She halted abruptly, making Fang walk into her. Ragnar, walking behind him, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back coarsely. He’d experienced enough on their previous missions to tell Lupe had felt something, that something was telling her to thread carefully. And not a second later, some basalt rocks came crashing down, straight on the spot they would have found themselves if Lupe hadn’t stopped them.

After making sure the threat was gone, Lupe continued their route without uttering a word, jumping over the freshly fallen rocks with ease. Fang stood frozen to the ground as Ragnar released his grasp from his shoulders, passing the trooper to follow behind their General. Twist patted him on the shoulder as he passed him, and Claw pushed him in the back to make sure he would start walking again, not trusting his brother to be the last in line.

---

It was hard to tell how long it had taken them to reach the base, as the days on the planet were as dark as the nights. The weather unchanged, the squad found themselves on the edge of the basalt mountain side, overlooking the base below. An occasional thunderbolt lit up the base as it lay looming in the vale below. The clones tried to get a better view through their helmet’s visors, Lupe squinting her eyes to protect them from the piercing raindrops. She should have brought an electrobinocular with her, but she didn’t like to carry too much gear on her.

As if he could read her thoughts, Twist tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned her gaze to him, she saw him reaching out his portable binocular towards her. She smiled as she took it gladly, appreciating the fact that they had come to know each other quite well during the few missions they had been on together. She started peering through the electrobinocular, searching for their way of entry.

And there it was. At one side of the facility, there was a discrete door, whooshing open every now and then as hoversleds passed to dump waste into an incinerator outside. The entrance became visible by the light inside whenever the door was open. Lupe bumped her elbow into Ragnar’s arm as he lay at her other side, pointing out the spot so he could communicate it with his brothers through their helmets’ built-in comm devices. Ragnar nodded to her, making clear he understood, before informing his brothers. Putting down the binocular, she started examining the basalt slope below them. She spotted a place east to their position where the slope was less steep. She gestured to the clones to follow her before she got up.

As the squad headed towards the slope, Lupe in the front again, their path became narrower and narrower. The basalt rubble below their feet was slippery, and they had to thread carefully to prevent themselves from slipping and falling. As they finally reached the spot, Lupe balanced herself as she gestured to the boys to descend onto lower grounds. One by one, they slid down, trying to be as smooth and silent as possible. Lupe waited until last, to make sure they didn’t attract any unwanted attention. She slid down smoothly, and when she reached more stable ground, Ragnar extended his hand to help her get up.

As she heaved herself up with Ragnar’s help, she noticed the wind was less terrorising here; they found more cover from it as they neared the base. It also meant they had to be more careful with every step, to stay out of the enemy’s sight for as long as possible. Preferably during the complete duration of the mission, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen. So they stalked forward, keeping low and as silent as possible, as they neared the waste entry.

They found cover opposite to the door, making sure to stay put and navigate the surroundings before barging in. As another hoversled came drifting outside, Lupe noticed it was being piloted by an astromech droid. She turned towards Twist. “Can you override the droid once we reach one of those?” she asked him, as she pointed towards the hoversled. He looked over the cover towards the target, before nodding silently yet confidently. “Good. You guys ready?” she asked, turning herself towards the sled, readying herself to run for it. “Affirmative,” she heard Ragnar say, before she made the first move.

She smoothly jumped over their cover, running for the hoversled as fast as she could. She knew the boys were just behind her. When she reached the sled, she jumped on top of it. The astromech whistled shocked, but before it could do anything else, she switched it off. Whilst Twist climbed on top of the sled and positioned himself beside her to override the droid, Lupe wriggled the restraining bolt off the droid before lending her hand to help the others on top of the sled.

“Done,” Twist said, as Lupe saw the astromech powering up again. He hunched down beside the droid, where he could reach the control panel, and started guiding the hoversled back inside the base. Ragnar gestured to the boys to stay low, as they did not know what to expect.

Once inside, a hall filled with mechanical waste loomed before them. Hoversleds coming in with loads of junk, emptying their cargo into the hall before drifting away to get more junk. A sorting area, where junk got separated. Some of it was transported outside, to the incinerator, but a small amount of scrap metal got transported to a different area of the base, through a thick door with red, diagonal stripes on it. The door immediately piqued Lupe’s interest.

As they laid low on the sled whilst Twist navigated them through the mayhem, they only noticed a few OOM security battle droids on stakeout in the area. If there was something valuable in here, Lupe expected it to be better guarded. Her gaze returned to the door with the red stripes. She had a feeling they would find something more interesting behind it. She nudged Twist and pointed to a secluded corner, where they could come up with a plan. “Can you navigate this thing from a distance?” Lupe asked Twist, as he guided the hoversled to the spot. He nodded affirmingly, halting the sled when they made it into position.

The squad jumped off the sled before Lupe told them the next steps of her plan, as it slowly started to form. “I’d like to explore that area,” she said, pointing towards the red-striped door, “but I have a feeling we won’t be welcome.” She asked them to put a load of junk on the empty hoversled they had used to enter the facility, and after they loaded it, she gave an encouraging nod towards Twist. He started navigating the sled from the datapad that was attached to his belt, and piloted it towards the ominous door. It slid open, and Twist guided the sled inside the room beyond, before the door closed again. “Wait for it..,” Lupe whispered patiently, her gaze focussed on the door.

Seconds later, a siren started blaring and a flashing light in front of the door started dancing. Lupe expected as much. The hoversleds were being monitored in the room beyond, and when they didn’t bring in the right kind of scrap metal, they weren’t allowed access. The door slid open again, and she could hear security droids inside calling out orders to the confused astromech. Twist had ended the connection in the meantime, so the droid was piloting again, but had no idea how it ended up in the middle of what seemed to be a protocol breach.

Lupe quickly thought of a solution, and remembered the metal ailes hanging from the ceilings above them, giving the security droids a better visual as they monitored the place. After she glanced up, she noticed one such aisle continued to the compartments behind the wall, to the room she would love to see up close. “Did you bring your grappling hooks?” Lupe asked the squad, making the boys follow her gaze towards the ceiling.

When the alarms and sirens had died down, Lupe shot up the aisle with a perfectly aimed Force Leap. The boys stayed behind, awaiting her signal. It didn't take long before an OOM security droid landed beside them; in two parts, its internal wiring giving off electrical sparks. “Is that our signal?” Fang whispered, as the rest of them shot their grappling hooks upwards. “I thought that was obvious,” Claw replied, before ascending to the aisle.

When all four of them reached the aisle, Lupe was already at the intersection that led towards the guarded rooms. They joined her, and together they sneaked forward, Lupe gesturing to them to thread as silent as possible. When they made it to the other side of the wall, they could see the monitoring room below.

Lupe raised a flat hand, making them all halt. She peered below, trying to see what was happening when a new hoversled entered the monitoring room. She could see screens, being controlled by droids, depicting all kinds of information; including a scan of the hoversled’s cargo. A few parts of scrap metal lightened up on one screen, resulting in a green light and the door to the next compartment opening. The hoversled drifted forward.

As expected. They were sorting scrap metal and collecting a small selection of parts, probably something rare, something valuable. Lupe wondered what they were doing with the selected parts. She lowered her hand again and crept forward, her squad right behind her.

Further up ahead, some way behind the monitoring room, they found laboratories and workshops on either side of the aisle and the corridor below. The rooms were visible through massive glass windows, making it easy for them to see what was happening inside - but also easy to be detected, if they would decide to investigate.

Most of the rooms were in use, with mostly droids doing the work inside. An occasional Skakoan was overseeing their progress. At the end of the corridor, they found several vacant laboratories, the dimly lit rooms giving off an ominous feeling.

“Claw, Fang, stay on lookout. Ragnar, Twist, with me,” Lupe ordered when the corridor below was clear. She ignited her lightsaber, and started melting a circle in the window in front of them. When she finished it, she Force-pushed it into the laboratory behind it, careful to not let it fall and shatter, because she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.

She took Twist’s DC-17 blaster, hung the attached grappling hook around the aisle’s bannister and smoothly Force-leapt through the hole in the window, blaster in hand. When she landed on her feet, she looked up around her quickly, wary she might have activated some sort of alarm, but nothing happened. She released the blaster and gestured to the boys back up on the aisle.

Ragnar and Twist came sliding down and regrouped with her in the room below. “Ragnar, keep watch at the entrance. Twist, what can you tell me about this facility?” Lupe shot at them, cautious but determined. Twist connected to a computer and started digging. Lupe glanced around, noticing an awful lot of Techno Union emblems on the equipment around them.

“They're separating s-specific parts for further p-processing,” Twist started, as his eyes skimmed through the information on the screen in front of him. They had figured that out by now, but Lupe knew Twist was still searching for more. It didn't take him long to find it, and when Lupe looked over his shoulder towards the screen, she saw blueprints popping up.

“S-seems they're using the p-parts to create..” “..deadlier droids,” Lupe finished his sentence, her eyes fidgeting over the screen, skimming through the blueprints. A cramped feeling took hold of her; she didn't want any of these machines to encounter neither Jedi nor clones out on the battlefield.

“Can you find the source of the blueprints?” she asked Twist when she regained herself. He tapped some buttons on the screen and deciphered the droid alphabet. “They're internal f-files,” he replied. A smirk appeared on her face as she realised what their next step would be. “Good.”

At that moment, Claw's voice could be heard over their comm devices. “Some ugly looking clanker coming your way.” Lupe scanned the room quickly, but she noticed there wasn't a lot of cover at their location. They crouched below the computer table, hoping Ragnar had found a better hiding spot.

A D1-series aerial battle droid came marching in the laboratory. It halted inside and its head turned both ways, scanning the room. Lupe and Twist held their breaths, afraid the slightest of sounds would betray their position. The D-wing came walking forward, turning around the corner of the computer. Its metal legs were now right in front of them as they cowered below the table.

Instinctively, Lupe positioned herself in front of Twist, reaching for the hilt of her lightsaber slowly. With a sudden movement, the D-wing hinged down, its visor straight at them. Lupe grunted as the droid's internal programming whirred up, afraid it would alarm more of the security droids. She ignited her lightsaber, readying herself to slash forward..

..but before she could, Ragnar jumped on the droid's back. The D-wing straightened itself, reaching an imposing 2 metres in length, as Ragnar clinged to it. He put his vibro-axe around the droid's mechanical neck, and pulled the handle tightly against it. As he pulled, sparks came flying off, until the whole head popped off. The droid dropped to the floor.

Lupe slid out of her cover, offering Twist her hand to help him up. When she walked past Ragnar, she put her hand on his shoulder piece, briefly looking him in the visor. “Thanks, Sarge,” she said softly to him, a smile appearing on her face. He nodded at her, reattaching his vibro-axe to his belt.

She walked over to Twist, who had already found his way back to the computer. “We need to hurry; that clanker might have triggered some alarm,” she said, as she patted him on the back. “Can you transfer those blueprints to your datapad?” Twist nodded, his gaze focused on the screen in front of him. “Already on it.”

The transfer didn't take long, and they didn't bother deleting any of the files; Lupe had something else in store for the facility. “Twist, can you get me the location of the facility’s main computer?” she asked him, and his fingers started shooting over the screen again. “Got it,” he said before disconnecting his datapad from the computer. They got back to the glass window, from which the grappling hook’s cable was still dangling. Twist heaved himself up, followed by Ragnar, Lupe right behind them.

When they found themselves back at the aisle, Lupe pulled in the blaster, detached the grappling hook from the bannister and handed the DC-17 back to Twist. “Thanks for always lending me your equipment,” she said to him, whilst putting her hand on his shoulder briefly. He nodded, a somewhat shy smile under his helmet, before the squad moved forward again.

As they continued their way on top of the aisle, Twist shot out the directions towards the main computer. Lupe wanted to sabotage it, so the facility would lose its purpose. At least for a while, as the Clone Wars dragged on and on, and there still wasn't an ending in sight.

The squad finally reached the desired location. After a security droid disappeared into another corridor, they jumped down from the aisle and entered the room. “Why is it always missions with this technical kark,” Fang sighed, as soon as they noticed the massive computer inside, surrounded by servers. There were no visible walls; everything was computer.

“Well, get yourself acquainted with it,” Ragnar shot at Fang, as he tossed a bag towards him. Instead of Fang, it was Claw who caught it. He sat down on one knee and started taking out the equipment inside. All parts apart, it looked like a collection of junk. But put together, it would make a pretty powerful explosive.

Claw started working on the parts, putting everything together. Fang kneeled down beside him, ready to aid his brother, to Claw's annoyance. “That’s the wrong wire, Fang, you need the blue one,” Claw grunted at his brother, pushing his shoulder. “This is the blue one!” Fang shot back. “That’s kriffing green!” Claw cried out, his hands on top of his helmet in frustration, before continuing: “Why are you doing this? You know you’re colour-blind!”

Fang blew a raspberry below his helmet. “And here I was thinking we were wearing purple armour,” he said, proudly patting his flint grey shoulder piece. Claw sighed, letting his head hang for a brief moment. “That’s actually grey, probably the only colour that doesn’t deform in that twisted head of yours,” he said, shaking his head, as Twist looked up, not following the conversation, but confused why his name was getting involved into it.

Lupe snorted with amusement from listening to the bickering brothers, as she stood at the door, keeping watch. Ragnar was less entertained; he rolled his eyes before he barked at the twins to get the task done. Twist joined in, making the job done faster - and the result more reliable.

“What t-time should I set the timer, s-sir?” Twist asked the General when the device was finished. Lupe quickly thought about their next steps. They needed time to exit the facility, but they shouldn't use more than necessary; if any of the Seppies found the explosive and there was enough time left, they could disable it, and their effort would be for nothing.

“Ten minutes,” she estimated after doing some quick maths. Twist nodded and without questioning her, he set the timer. Fang on the other hand looked through his visor in disbelief. “Ten minutes? How the kriff are we gonna get out in ten minutes?”

“Nine,” Lupe replied without looking at him, still keeping an eye out for incoming trouble at the entrance. Fang tossed his hands in the air. “Nine what?” he asked, confused. Lupe shot him a glance over her shoulder, an amused smirk on her face. “Eight..”

“Thanks for that, vod*,” Claw remarked sarcastically, as he got up and dragged Fang on his feet as well. Twist placed the device near the main computer, the timer still on ten minutes, as his General had ordered. She was just teasing Fang. “Activating now,” Twist called out, as he pushed the button and the timer started counting backwards. Lupe nodded to her squad in encouragement, before they jolted back into the corridor.

*vod = brother

---

The first part of their exit went smoothly. Lupe felt confident they would make it out within six minutes, still several left on the explosive’s timer. But as they progressed through the facility, it became clear to her that overconfidence would always end in a lesson to be learnt.

As they made their way back into the main hangar, using the aisle attached to the ceiling again, all sorting machines had died down and the hoversleds had disappeared to the sides of the hall. There, in front of the entrance door they were so eager to reach, stood a formation of D1-series aerial battle droids. The same model they had encountered earlier in the laboratory, but that had just been one. Lupe wasn't going to make an effort to count this lot.

“Kark, looks like we overstayed our welcome,” Lupe remarked, Fang sighing out loud beside her. “Again,” he added excessively. There was no way to hide, as the droids were clearly waiting for them. Lupe shrugged before turning towards her squad. “Who's against improvising?” she asked with a crooked smile on her face. Fang raised his hand, but Claw quickly slapped it out of the air. “No further questions,” Lupe said, as she turned back towards the enemy.

For a brief moment, Lupe closed her eyes, pulling into the Force to help her focus. The next seconds seemed to take longer than usual, as everything around her slowed down. She heard Fang crying out: “The clankers can fly!” and found her hand sliding towards her lightsaber’s hilt. A few deep, peaceful breaths, before she found herself surrounded by chaos.

The D-wings lifted off into the air and came flying straight at them. Claw and Fang ran forward across the aisle, emptying their hand blasters at the clankers. Twist pointed out something to Ragnar, but it was inaudible to Lupe at this time. She ignited her lightsaber and swung it around smoothly, deflecting laser blast after blast, returning the fire right at the aerial droids.

“Hold on tight!” Ragnar shouted, as he slashed his vibro-axe at some of the rods that were keeping the aisle attached to the ceiling. Lupe felt the surface below her shaking, and she quickly took hold of the bannister beside her. After Ragnar slashed his axe one last time, the aisle came crashing down at one side, as it was losing support to the ceiling. Fang came rolling down swearing, but regained himself as soon as he reached stable ground.

The falling aisle had taken some of the droids with it, as they had been flying underneath it to surround the squad. But there were still many left. With a yell that almost sounded like a war cry, Ragnar jumped from his position on the aisle, vibro-axe in one hand, and landed on the back of a flying D-wing. He smashed the axe in the droid's back, making it crash down immediately. Ragnar jumped off at the last second, rolling over to break his fall, and continued his attack on the enemy.

Twist had reached the floor as well by now, and had found an inactive hoversled at the side of the hangar. He was overriding it when a D-wing came straight at him. He only noticed at the last moment, when there was no time left to reach for his blaster. As he cowered himself behind his arms, there was a flash of blue light and a buzzing sound, before the droid came crashing down. When Twist looked back up, Lupe was standing in front of him, ignited lightsaber at her side.

“I got your back, vod’ika*,” she said to him, a kind smile on her face. She turned around again, running off to finish some more droids. Twist caught his breath, regaining himself before finishing the job. He had control over the hoversled again, and powered it up. Time to even the odds.

*vod’ika = little brother

Claw and Fang found themselves in a tight spot by now. Crouched behind some crates, providing them cover from only one side, the D-wings started to surround them from both the ground and the air. Their armour was covered in char marks from grazing laser shots. Claw chuckled: “At least you won't die a shiny now.”

Moments later and barely in time, mayhem ensued when Twist came drifting past on the hoversled, launching the D-wings that were situated on the ground. Claw and Fang cheered before running over to the sled, climbing on top of it. “Got our r-ride out,” Twist shot through his comm device as he started to steer the sled towards the big entry door.

Ragnar got the message and quickly navigated his surroundings. He noticed the hoversled rampaging through the hangar, and moments later, he saw Lupe engaged in battle. He sighed; she really needed a comm device built in her arm plate. Her portable comlink was buried inside a pocket, unable for her to hear or reach during a battle.

He dug his vibro-axe out of a droid's fried circuits and ran over towards his General. “Time to move,” he shot at her when he reached her. She was so engaged in the battle, in the action, being one with her lightsaber as she smoothly spun it around, that she had forgotten about the timer. Ragnar was absolutely right, and they'd better hurry.

They found their way through the hangar, eliminating more droids on their way, until they reached the hoversled. They jumped on top, where Twist was focused on the steering panel, and Claw and Fang stood shooting around them. As soon as Lupe and Ragnar had joined them, Twist directed the sled straight to the door.

“Any ideas on the door?” Ragnar shouted out loud, over the sounds of the battle. This would normally be a task for Twist, but since he was busy hovering them to safety, they needed a different solution. “On it,” Lupe replied, closing her eyes and reaching her right hand towards the door’s control panel. She pulled in the Force again, taking a deep breath as everything around her slowed down again. She put all her focus on the panel next to the door..

The door shook for a moment, before it finally whooshed open. Just in time, as they'd come quite close and Twist wasn't going to slow the hoversled down. He manoeuvred it outside, hovering it as far as the terrain allowed.

Just as they jumped off the hoversled, a thunderous explosion emerged from the facility behind them. The squad covered behind the sled, as pieces of flaming metal came shooting around them. They could feel the heat. “Mission accomplished, gentlemen,” Lupe said, smirking at them. “Again,” Fang added, as he nodded to his General.

---

They had no intention of lingering around the place. They found their way back up the ridge, and continued their route back through the black basalt pass. The weather hadn't changed a bit, except for some additional rubble and ashes falling from the sky.

It didn't take long for Lupe's senses to alert her once more, followed by a whirring noise closing in on them. “We're not off the scomp yet,” Lupe warned them, as she turned around, lightsaber's hilt in her hand. She had lost her cloak somewhere in the facility, and although she disliked the cramped feeling it gave her, being unable to move at her fullest, she wished she had something to protect her face from the sharp raindrops at this very moment.

The boys monitored their visors as they looked up into the sky, awaiting the incoming threat. “Yep, more of those flying bucket bolts,” Claw warned them when he had a visual on them, right before a barrage of laser bolts was shot their way. The basalt rocks allowed them some cover, but it wasn't a great position for a stand-off.

“Get your thrusters back to the ship, I'll cover your backs,” Lupe ordered, igniting her lightsaber. The boys didn't dare objecting as they knew she was being serious this time. They continued their path, running as fast as they could as they manoeuvred themselves over the basalt surface.

Lupe deflected every shot, letting nothing get past her, as she returned the shots towards the D-wings. The droids were dropping like flies, but fresh ones kept coming. Lupe clenched her teeth, trying to keep up with the boys and defending them simultaneously.

Ragnar was just in front of her when some blaster fire did make it past Lupe. She was too late to warn him when she watched the shots hit an overhanging rock, making it come crashing down. Some rubble hit Ragnar, and he crashed down, his leg in an uncomfortable angle as he grunted in both pain and frustration.

Quickly, Lupe pulled into the Force, and with all her power, stopped the falling rock just before it could crush Ragnar. It hovered ominously above him, but due to his broken leg, he couldn't move over the rough basalt surface to get clear. Lupe cried out as a laser bolt grazed her back, but she held onto the rock tightly. She slightly turned her torso, one hand reaching towards the rock to keep it floating, lightsaber in the other, swinging around to deflect the incoming fire as best she could.

But she was struggling, and Ragnar knew it. “Sir, just.. Finish the mission, get the boys out. I'm expendable,” he shouted at her, grunting through his sentences as he reached for his injured leg. “Shut.. Your.. Hole.. Sarge..,” Lupe shot back slowly through clenched teeth, another laser blast grazing her.

The other men had found their way back and finally started to get Ragnar out of the rubble and back on his feet. Lupe didn't know how much longer she could hold on to the rock. “Get him the kriff out of here!” she called out, her breathing heavy. “Sir-” came some sort of objection, but she didn't bother looking around to see from who's mouth. “That's an order!” she roared, taking no effort to stay civilised.

The boys got Ragnar up and dragged him to safety. As he looked back at Lupe, he saw his General fighting fiercely and valiantly, before she let go of her Force-hold, and the rock came crashing down. The path was blocked, and so was his visual on her.

---

The men had finally reached and boarded the shuttle, Twist immediately providing first aid on Ragnar's leg at their arrival. Claw powered up the ship, making sure they could lift off at any moment, whilst Fang stood at the boarding ramp, nervously peering into the dark and broody distance.

It was taking too long. Fang shuffled on his feet, impatient, as he was afraid the Seps would unleash hell on them if they overstayed their welcome any longer. He turned around towards Ragnar, opening his mouth to say something, but Ragnar didn't give him any chance. “We're not leaving any vode* behind,” he grunted between his teeth, as Twist was still working on his injured leg. Fang swallowed and turned back around, keeping a watchful eye on their stormy surroundings.

*vode = brothers

After what felt like an eternity, a figure came walking towards them, staggering forward over the rough surface. Fang narrowed his eyes as he looked at the figure, not sure if it was real. But it was, and he shot out a cry of excitement. “I-is it her?” Twist asked full of anticipation, looking up from Ragnar's leg. “She's made it!” Fang shouted in response, jumping on the spot.

“What are you waiting for? Go get her,” Ragnar grunted at him. He would have done it himself, but his leg was preventing him from getting up, let alone support his General back to the ship. Fang ran off the boarding ramp, almost stumbling and falling down in the process. Not much later, he returned with Lupe at his side, supporting her.

She looked awful. She was covered in char marks from the grazing laser bolts, both on her armour, her clothing and her skin. Her face looked bruised and fresh blood coloured her philtrum; she had definitely been in a close hand-to-hand combat with the droids. But she had survived and had found her way back to the ship, which was most important.

“Ready for take-off!” Fang shouted to Claw as soon as they were back inside and the door had closed behind them. Claw nodded affirmatively, lifted the ship from the surface and piloted her straight up into the sky. “Just.. Just put me down here,” Lupe grunted softly. Fang did as he was told, and helped Lupe to the ship's floor. She lay down with her back on the cool durasteel floor, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.

“Lesson of the day, boys: do not Keldabe kiss any droid without your bucket on,” she finally said, as she raised a finger in the air. It took her some effort, but she was able to conjure a smirk on her face anyway. The boys laughed as the tension dropped. “Glad to have you back on board, sir,” Fang said at last, before the ship shot into hyperspace.

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks’ Hangar

When Claw landed the shuttle in the hangar, two 104th medics with hover-stretchers were waiting for them. Ragnar and Lupe slowly walked down the boarding ramp, as the other squad members supported them. Down below, Twist and a medic helped Ragnar on one of the stretchers. The other medic walked up towards Lupe, but it didn't take long before a discussion arose.

“Sir, you really have to come with me,” the medic urged her, his voice getting louder as he got insistent. “I won't be seeing any Jedi healer until I know my troops are being looked after!” she shot at him, her voice raised. She pushed the empty hover-stretcher away with a small Force-push, and it drifted off into the hangar.

“Sir-,” the medic continued, but Fang put his hand on the medic's shoulder, gently pushing to prevent him from stepping towards the General. “You're not gonna change her mind,” he said with a smirk, his helmet under his arm. The medic sighed as he shook his head, walking off to retrieve the hover-stretcher, saying something like ‘wait until the Commander learns about this’ under his breath.

Lupe walked over to Ragnar, as he laid down on the stretcher without arguing with his medic. “Let's get you to the medbay,” Lupe said to him with a smile, a bit wry on her bruised face. She briefly put her hand on his shoulder, and he returned the gesture by touching her hand, as a sign of thanks for what she had done for the squad - for him - during this mission.

…

Epilogue

After the squad had delivered Ragnar to the medbay and had received some check-ups themselves, Commander Wolffe had barged into the medical room to scold Lupe for her recent decisions. But when he laid eyes on her, her armour and body charred from the grazing laser bolts, her face bruised from her close encounter with the droids, his demeanour softened as his anger turned into concern.

Only when she knew her men were getting the care they needed and deserved, she promised the Commander to go see a Jedi healer at once. Some Wolfpack troopers had escorted her to the Jedi Temple, which she thought was a bit over the top, but she really appreciated the gesture.

In the Halls of Healing, situated in the Jedi Temple, Lupe was treated and her blaster injuries were taken care of, as the healers were able to heal them nicely. A few small scars were all that remained. She was being ordered to stay though, as she needed to regain some of her strength.

The following day, as she was still laying in the Halls of Healing to recover, she received a small fruit basket. A written note came with it, and after some effort, she was able to decipher the clumsy handwriting into ‘From the 501st’. She smiled when she looked inside the basket, which held exactly five pieces of fruit. She really liked the number five.

I'm dubbing that hoversled drift the Tokyo Twist 😎

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lonewolflupe · 4 months ago

Text

aLoF ch4 | Pick Of The Pack

Another Monday, another chapter. Let me finally introduce you to the Lone Wolf Squad! Happy reading (:

Summary: now a Jedi General, Lupe gets designated to an unusual squad of clone troopers, as they emerge on their first assignment together Rating: Teen and up Tags: canon-typical violence, swearing (usage of slang; kriff/kriffing = fuck/fucking, kark = shit) Words: 6.200k Characters: Lupe (OC), Mace Windu, Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Trooper Ragnar (OC), Trooper Claw (OC), Trooper Fang (OC), Trooper Twist (OC), unidentified Jedi Council members, unidentified clone troopers aLoF masterlist | AO3 ch3 < | ↓ | > ch5

21 BBY, Coruscant | Jedi Temple

It was still early when Lupe walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple, her pace quick but confident. The halls were quiet, as most Jedi were still asleep or meditating in their room, or away from the planet to fight another battle in the ongoing Clone Wars. The sunrise shone a warm, welcoming light through the arched windows into the shiny halls as she continued her path. She enjoyed the light on her skin, but it made her miss being outside, and she felt unrest as she was aching to work on some mission.

It hadn’t been long since she had achieved Jedi Knighthood, which had befallen her sooner than she had expected. It still felt unreal, as if it had just been a dream. She was still so young, and sometimes she wondered if she wasn’t too young for the responsibilities that befell a Jedi Knight. But these uncertain times asked for unusual circumstances, and she hadn’t been the only Padawan currently around to face Knighthood at a young age. The Jedi Order was in need of more generals to fight the war, and in letting Padawans achieve Knighthood, they complied with their lack of officers. For better or worse.

Things hadn’t changed a lot, though; Lupe hadn’t been designated to her own troops, but had still been working alongside her former Master, Plo Koon, and the 104th Battalion. The only thing that had changed was that she was to be called General instead of Commander now, to the frustration of some troopers, as they were still used to calling her ‘Commander’. Furthermore, it had been like before. She didn’t mind at all; she was still learning a lot from both Master Plo Koon and Commander Wolffe, and she was thankful to stay at the sides of the clone troopers she’d come to know.

But things were changing. She was summoned by the Jedi Council to meet them in the High Council Chamber right away. That was reason enough to know something was going to happen. She felt both excitement and uneasiness as she walked through the halls, not knowing what the Council had in store for her, and if it would include her former Master and the Wolfpack.

She made her last turn and finally found herself in front of the door to the Chamber. She halted for a moment, taking a deep breath and balancing her thoughts and feelings, before continuing. The door opened, and inside was the Jedi High Council. Some of the Masters were present in the flesh, others appeared as holograms. She stood in the doorway, awaiting the final invitation.

“Please enter, Lupe,” Master Windu said, gesturing to her to come forward. She walked into the room and halted in the middle of the round chamber, surrounded by the Council. “Masters,” she greeted as she bowed to respect them, her hands resting on her back. She couldn’t help feeling nervous, being surrounded by so many legendary Force wielders at once. The presence of Master Plo Koon made her feel slightly less tense. “What can I do for you?”

“Come to our attention, you have,” Grand Master Yoda said in his unique, croaky voice. The small yet powerful Jedi looked to his side, where Mace Windu was seated. Master Windu nodded to the Grand Master and took over the conversation. “We’ve heard stories and read reports of your endeavours, Lupe,” he explained, quickly sharing a look with Master Plo Koon, who was seated at his other side. “It has come to our attention that you have found yourself in trouble regularly..” Her enthusiasm evaporated with those words, but Master Windu continued: “..but that you seem to find creative ways of solving those situations.” She blinked her eyes, tight-lipped, awaiting what way this conversation would go.

“We are working on an experiment within our army’s ranks,” Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, a static hologram on Yoda’s other side, elaborated, “And we think you’d fit in perfectly.” Her eyes sparkled as she tried to remain calm and balanced, ready for any challenge they would bestow her. Master Windu took over again. “Instead of sending companies or even battalions on delicate missions, we’d like to see how smaller units operate. Our thought here is that fewer yet capable soldiers, by using stealth and creative solutions, might prove to be more efficient than sending in the big guns, so to speak.” He turned towards Master Plo Koon, allowing him to speak the redeeming words: “We’d like you to lead such a unit, Lupe.”

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks

After the Jedi Council had gone into more detail about her designation, Master Plo Koon accompanied Lupe towards the GAR clone barracks, where she would meet her unit. “Remember, it’s just a small squad, as this is all still an experiment,” he pointed out, waving his four-fingered hand, as if it meant nothing. It did mean a lot to her. “Your squad will be part of the 104th. We’ll still have your back if you need us.” He sounded caring as he kept telling her how it was alright if this didn’t work out, how he would help her find another unit to fit in if she wanted to, and that she was always welcome to accompany him and the Wolfpack on their missions.

“Thank you, Master, I appreciate it,” she replied, coming to a halt as they had almost reached the barracks’ hangar. She placed her hand on his shoulder to ease him. “No need to worry; you’ve taught me well. I’ll manage.” She smiled reassuringly as she looked up at him. His antiox breath mask moved, as if he was talking, but there were no words. Moments later, he put his hand over hers, where she still held it on his shoulder. “I know, little one. You’re just still so young, and I wish you wouldn’t have to grow up in a war like this one,” he sighed, slightly hanging his head.

Their moment was interrupted when the colossal hangar door opened, attracting both their glances. Behind the door, in the hangar, they could see a lot of activity going on. Ships entering and departing, clone troopers running about, hoversleds filled with cargo being pushed to and from ships. Lupe looked back to her former Master, gently squeezing his shoulder before removing her hand. “I’ll manage,” she whispered, before they both walked into the hangar.

There, at one side of the hanger in front of several crates, she noticed four clones fidgeting about. One of them was pacing up and down, hands on his back, his head down and deep in thoughts. Two of them were clearly having some sort of argument, whilst the fourth was sitting on one of the crates, his head supported by one arm as he silently watched the other two arguing. Their Phase II armour was still quite indistinctable, with a few hints of the 104th’s flint grey, but nothing yet that kept them apart. As soon as they noticed the two Jedi approaching, they bounced up and stood in formation, saluting their officers.

The Jedi halted in front of the squad and Master Plo Koon turned towards the troopers to address them. “Troopers, I’m pleased to introduce you to your new officer, General Lupe.” He looked back at Lupe and gestured with his hand towards the clones. “Lupe, your squad,” he said, as she thanked him with a nod, after which she took a step forward. “At ease, men. I’d like to hear your names,” she said, as she turned to the first trooper, the one that had been pacing back and forth when she and her former Master had entered the hangar. He took a step forward before responding to her.

"Sergeant Ragnar. It's an honour to serve with you, sir," the leader of the squad said, stepping back again after he had introduced himself. His broad shoulders and straight back instantly made him look like a confident leader. The dark hair on his head was shaved at the sides, in the middle combed backwards, ending in a very short tail. Most notable was the small, pointy beard on his chin. There, in the centre, was a thin braid, held together with a small, metal bead. Lupe looked at him from head to toe, before replying: "The honour is all mine, sergeant."

The two clones next to the sergeant stuck together closely, as if glued together. "Trooper Claw..," the first one said, before the second one added: "..and trooper Fang." "At your service," the last part in unison. Trooper Fang leaned forward slightly, before adding in a whisper: "We're twins." Lupe smiled, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Ah, so that's why your faces look the same," she joked, before turning towards the fourth and final clone. Fang shrugged, followed by Claw's elbow bumping between his ribs to urge him to act normal again.

The last clone seemed a bit more modest and subdued, almost shy. But instead of saluting, he made a small bow when the General appeared in front of him. "They call me Twist, s-sir," he said, his eyes fidgety as he didn't know if he should look the General in the eyes or not. "And why do they call you that, trooper?" she asked kindly, hoping she could put him at ease. "I-I-I, er- I tend to do things a bit d-differently," he replied stuttering, finally looking her in the eyes as she smiled at him.

They were perfect. Lupe loved how much personality they had shown in the mere minutes since she had laid eyes on them. She looked back at her former Master, standing back a few steps to allow them some space, full of anticipation as Lupe nodded at him in approval. They were perfect, and she was looking forward to working with them.

---

Not only had the Jedi Council designated Lupe to her own squad, they had given them their first mission as well. They were to depart from Coruscant immediately, given a small, discrete shuttle, a set of coordinates and a datapad with the mission details. Ragnar stepped forward and turned to the other troopers.

“You know the drill,” Ragnar barked. “Claw, get yourself up front; you're piloting. Fang, you're with him. Twist, work your magic and scramble those codes.” Lupe watched as they went about their businesses, making sure to enter the shuttle last to oversee their affairs. Besides Claw and Fang, these clones didn't originate from the same cadet squad. But they had clearly been working together before she was put in charge, for everything was carried out so smoothly and compliant once they had received their orders. Lupe almost started to wonder why this squad needed a Jedi General in command.

As Claw positioned himself in the pilot seat, Fang sat down in the co-pilot seat next to him and entered the coordinates in the navicomputer. Twist withdrew to the control panel at the side of the cockpit as Ragnar and Lupe positioned themselves behind the seats in the cockpit, to watch over the squad and their upcoming objectives.

“Alright boys, let’s see what you’re made of,” Lupe said grinning, as Claw piloted the shuttle out of the hangar, ascending into Coruscant’s space, where he fired up the hyperspace drive. The stars left a blue trail as the shuttle leapt forward. Their first mission together had just taken off.

---

During their hyperspace journey, the squad had enough time to go through the datapad and come up with a plan. Their first mission didn’t seem too hard: a data extraction on a small Separatist base on Raxus Secundus, a planet occupied by the CIS. The base was a data storage centre and there wasn’t a military base in the proximity. According to the intel, the base wasn’t massively protected, so they should manage without getting into too much trouble.

After learning of the mission's detailing from the datapad, Lupe wondered what kind of information the Jedi Council wanted extracted from a Separatist base that wasn’t too well protected. If it was something important about their strategies, surely the Seppies would handle their information better? But what was important enough to send over a special unit for a stealth mission? Was the data useful to use against the Separatists, or was it something their enemy could use against the Republic? The Jedi, even?

As her thoughts wandered, Claw alerted the squad they were coming out of hyperspace. Lupe set her sinister speculations aside and focussed on the here and now. She was sitting at the back of the ship, which was more of a cargo freighter than a troop transport. She waited until they were in realspace again before she stood up and walked over to the seats in the front. She leaned on Claw’s pilot seat and watched over his shoulder as they approached Raxus.

Twist had scrambled their transponder code, and now they were awaiting approval from the command ship of the Confederacy’s blockade, as it ominously hovered above the planet’s atmosphere. The squad was silent, as everyone was waiting for the anticipated transmission. It finally came. “Roger roger, you may approach and land,” the mechanical voice spoke over the transmission. Lupe patted Twist on the shoulder, as he was standing behind Fang’s seat, restless until his work had proven successful. “Well done, trooper,” she said to him with a smile, before she turned her gaze to the terrestrial world in front of them.

“You located the landing spot?” Lupe asked Claw, as he navigated the shuttle just above the treetops to stay off the radar. He nodded, manoeuvring in utmost concentration. As he neared the spot, he decreased speed and ultimately descended the shuttle vertically into the forest below, skilfully evading the nearby trees, and landed with only a slight thud. Warthog couldn’t have done it better, Lupe thought with a smile, as she readied herself to progress this mission on foot.

As soon as they had taken up their necessary gear, they departed the shuttle and made their way towards the data centre, leaving the shuttle behind in the lush green forest. They had to get close enough to the base to observe it, to learn the patrol patterns, but had to wait patiently until nightfall before they could set the next part of their mission into motion.

---

Raxus Secundus | Separatists’ Data Centre

The sun had set and darkness crept up towards the data centre. Crouched behind some cover at the edge of the forest, the squad watched the entrance of the base, located about 100 metres in front of them. Patrols of battle droids marched around the vicinity. Lupe was just in front of the clone troopers, searching for the right time to advance.

Ragnar had his helmet under his arm, getting used to the dark as he took in their current surroundings. He found that Fang, at his side to the left, was staring at his face. "What?" he whispered somewhat annoyed. "Sarge, doesn't your chin, like.. itch all the time?" Fang asked, pointing towards Ragnar's small, pointy beard. "Doesn't your head hurt all the time?" Ragnar asked in return. Fang seemed puzzled under his helmet, a surprised 'huh' as he tried to figure it out. "From the emptiness inside your skull?"

A snort from Claw, located at Fang's other side, as he elbowed his brother between his ribs again. "He's calling you stupid," he explained to his brother, amused. First an 'ah' from Fang as he understood, followed by an 'oi' as he turned back to Ragnar, his fist clenched.

"Play nice, boys," Lupe commented as she looked at them over her shoulder, her lips curled into a subtle smirk. "Get yourselves ready." The clones nodded in unison, straight up focussed again, Ragnar putting his helmet back on. They took their weapons in their hands, ready to advance when their General gave the order. She added: "And remember, stealth is the key."

Another patrol walked past, and when the droids started to disappear around the corner, Lupe gave the silent order with a hand gesture. They crept forward, keeping low and silent. They reached the base's door without being detected. The squad put their backs towards the entrance to overlook their surroundings, to keep an eye out on incoming patrols, so that Twist could focus on getting the door open.

"Are you going to hack into the mainframe?" Claw asked in a whisper. Twist had taken his knife, wriggled the blade into a crack below the control panel and popped off a small, metal plate. "Nah, I'm gonna kriffing hot-wire it," he replied without stuttering, because he was too focussed on his task. He started working on some wires.

“You need to hurry, Twist,” Ragnar whispered demandingly after some moments. He was cautiously scanning their surroundings, a quick look around the corner. They had studied the patrol patterns, and if their calculations were right, another patrol squad should be around quite soon. Twist nodded as he cut a wire and wrapped it around another. “Vod*..,” Ragnar uttered warily as he saw the patrol coming up.

*Vod = brother

Lupe scanned the surroundings. She noticed some metal crates near the edge of the nearby forest and an idea popped in her head. With the Force, she picked up a stone that was lying around and swung it at the crates. As the stone hit the metal, a clear ‘pang’ could be heard around the base. Lupe held her breath to see what would happen next.

“What was that?” one of the droid's uttered, as the patrol came to a halt just before they marched around the corner, where the squad was located. The droids looked around before pinpointing where the sound had come from, and started to walk over towards the crates to check out the origins of the disturbance.

At that moment, Twist managed to hot-wire the entrance. The door sliced open with a soft thud, and the squad entered the base, leaving the droid patrol behind. “Thank you, s-sir,” Twist said a bit awkwardly to the General as the door shut behind them. Lupe smiled as she patted him on the shoulder. “We're a team now; we're supposed to have each other’s backs,” she explained to him, before continuing their path.

They found themselves in a dimly lit corridor. As they cautiously moved forward, they found several adjacent rooms, filled with lowly humming computers, servers and devices. According to their intel, they were searching for a round wall of computers that was towering from floor to ceiling in the middle of a room. They checked every room they passed, but so far, didn’t find what they were looking for.

At the end of the corridor was another room, this time sealed off with a door. Lupe shared a look with Ragnar, as they were both sure this had to be the room. “Stay sharp,” Lupe whispered, as they didn't know what they would find behind that door. The troopers readied their weapons, before Claw pushed the entry button that opened the door. Kark.

Inside was, without a doubt, the computer they were looking for. Stationed around said computer were four deadly BX commando droids. Lupe knew this mission couldn't have been as easy as it had been, and here it was proving her correct. The commandos seemed as surprised as they were, and as their internal programming whirred up, Lupe jolted forward. Lightsaber ignited, she reached the first one. With a zigzagging swing, she cut through its neck, its torso, and finally, its legs. With a clang, every part fell on the ground; the first commando was eliminated. That left three of them.

Lupe Force pushed a second commando to the back of the room, as it was standing dangerously close to Claw and Fang. The boys started blasting at the droids, as the mechanical death machines leapt and pounced forward, dodging the incoming blaster fire. Lupe swung her saber around to deflect the bolts as the commandos returned the fire. In the corner of her eye, she saw Ragnar running forward, engaging in a melee encounter with the third commando. He had a small vibro-axe in one hand, a blaster in the other. With the activated axe, he slashed the droid between its head and shoulders multiple times, sparks emerging from the defaulting commando. As it staggered backwards, Ragnar put his blaster to its torso and blasted a single shot through its circuits. The droid was fried.

The fourth commando came running forward at a deadly pace. Claw and Fang unloaded their blasters on it, but it didn’t seem to do enough damage to stop its rampage. At the last moment, Twist came sliding over the ground, right in front of the commando’s path. The droid noticed the clone trooper too late, and tripped over him, falling to the ground. As it tried to get up again, three troopers surrounded him, and blasted their DC-17 hand blasters at the droid’s unprotected parts at full capacity.

The second commando droid, the one Lupe had Force pushed to the back of the room, was regaining itself. As Claw, Fang and Twist were still working on eliminating the fourth droid, Lupe looked to Ragnar at her other side. She knew he didn’t have sight on the last commando, as the computer wall was located between them. But she knew how they could disable the droid quickly and quietly. “Droid popper,” she called to him. He took an electromagnetic pulse grenade from the container on his back, activated it, and tossed it her way. With a smooth gesture, she guided the grenade in a curve around the computer wall with the Force. When the grenade made it to the droid’s torso, an array of electromagnetic pulses came out of it, shocking the commando. It shut down and fell to the ground.

The room quieted down as their last opponent was disabled. Fang turned around to face the last droid, pulses still frying the droid as it lay on the ground convulsing, and emptied his blaster on its head. “Eat portion bread, clanker,” he said agitated, still shooting at the droid’s upper parts until Claw put his hand on his shoulder to make him stop. “Well, he isn’t going to anymore,” Claw said jokingly to his brother.

“Well done, squad,” Lupe said as she looked around approvingly at the carnage they created. Quick and steady, without casualties of their own. No injuries either; the boys had proven themselves quite effective. “Now, let’s carry on.” She gestured to Twist to join her at the computer wall as Ragnar ordered the others to stay on the lookout at the entrance. The machine had been out of the EMP grenade’s reach and was still functioning properly, thousands of little lights flickering as it was storing and processing information. Twist sat down on one knee as he plugged a scomp link into the computer’s socket. It was attached to a datapad, which he used to browse the seemingly infinite amount of information stored on the Separatist’s computer. “What are we looking for?” he asked Lupe, his eyes not diverting from the datapad’s screen.

What were they looking for? Lupe’s unsettling thoughts returned as she looked at the screen as Twist browsed through the information. Patrol reports, ship inventories, transfer information, overviews of casualties - from both sides. Nothing that was standing out.

“There,” Lupe said at last, as her finger slid to a title on the screen. It read ‘Jedi corruption’ in droid alphabet. So it was something the Separatists had on the Jedi after all; sensitive information. Lupe raised a brow as she quickly yet carefully pondered her next steps. “Alright, copy the information to the datapad and delete any trace of the original files and of the transfer from the Seps’ computer,” she ordered Twist, as she gave him a quick pat on the back before standing up and walking towards Ragnar.

“Still clear?” she asked the sergeant as she halted next to him. Ragnar glanced over to Claw and Fang, as they stood peeking around the corners of the entrance. Just when they gave the clear, Lupe could hear a clanking rolling sound quickly coming their way. She sighed, as she knew what was coming. “Rollies incoming, sir!” Fang shouted, proving her assumption right, as the droidekas gained in on their position. “Twist?” she asked over her shoulder, slightly pushy to make him hurry. “Working as f-fast as I can, s-sir!”

Lupe darted past Claw and Fang into the hallway. There were three of the destroyer droids, but she knew more were probably near. As they were rolling in on them, she Force pulled one of them towards her, slashing it in half as she hovered the machine past her. Lightsaber at the ready, she watched how the remaining droidekas came to a halt, unfolded, activated their deflector shields and started shooting. The clones returned the fire from their cover, but all shots were deflected by the shields. They had to come up with something else.

“Argh, I kriffing hate those,” Fang complained as he watched his blaster fire fail to penetrate the droidekas’ shields. “And here I thought you were friends,” Lupe grinned, as she deflected the droid fire with her lightsaber. “I’d rather go drink a caf with a Saberjowl than with these bucket bolts,” Fang continued his complaining. Claw paused his shooting as he turned to Fang, lifting his shoulders and hands in a confused shrug. “What makes you think droids are able to drink caf at all?” he asked his brother, before continuing shooting at the destroyers. “I don’t care, I just know everyone needs caf! I know I could use one right kriffing now!”

Although the conversation was going nowhere, it gave Lupe an idea. The remarks about droids and caf made her think about what something wet and liquid would do to a small deflector shield, such as the droidekas were equipped with. And since they were in a base with lots of active computers and servers around, the Separatists had to be using a way to cool down all the heating machinery. She darted back into the computer room and glanced up, searching for their opportunity.

“What are you looking for?” Ragnar inquired as he noticed she was searching the ceiling. Twist was wrapping up the data transfer and hung the datapad to his belt. “Twist, do you know where the cooling system enters the room?” Lupe asked, as she pointed towards the ceiling. Slightly confused, not aware what her plan was, he pointed it out to her. Between the power cabling was a wide, thick tube leading towards the computer in the middle of the room. With her gaze, Lupe followed the tube outside the room, where it made a bend into the corridor and disappeared out of sight.

Ragnar was right behind her when Lupe walked to the entrance of the computer room and peeked around the corner. She could still see the cooling system’s tube attached to the ceiling, above the droidekas. With a grin on her face, she looked over her shoulder. “How well are you able to aim that vibro-axe?” she asked the sergeant. Ragnar, still puzzled, took the axe in his dominant right hand, smoothly tossing and turning it into the air before he caught it again, without looking at it. “Where do you need it?” he asked confidently.

After she had told Ragnar her plan and showed him the exact spot where she needed the axe, she ignited her lightsaber again. She nodded at Ragnar, making sure he was ready as well, before she jumped into the corridor. The droidekas immediately started shooting at her again, as she seemed like an easy target, unexposed as she was out of cover. She deflected the fire as she tried to diverge their attention.

As subtle as he could, to not warn the droidekas of their intentions, Ragnar bent around the corner, with his vibro-axe in his hand. He laid eyes on his target, and then, with a smooth motion, he tossed the axe right in the cooling system’s tube. It landed just behind the droidekas, its cutting edge at an oblique angle. The tube started to sputter, drops of water running down the axe’s head.

The axe fell down heavily as Lupe gave it a quick Force pull, and the water came squirting out of the tube, directly on the droidekas’ deflector shields. The shields started to falter, and it didn’t take long before they completely malfunctioned. Claw and Fang saw their chance; they started blasting at the destroyers again, quickly disabling the machines. The sound of shooting died down as the droidekas laid in a wet puddle of water and electric shocks, as the water still came running down from the cooling system’s tube.

“Thanks for the idea,” Lupe told Claw and Fang, who had totally lost the connection between droids, caf and cooling systems. “Twist is done with the transfer, so let’s go,” she said as she gestured to them to follow her. The corridor was clear now, and they had to get back to the shuttle so they could return to Coruscant. Lupe was in the front to make sure the corridor stayed clear, as the squad followed her towards the exit of the base. Ragnar picked up his vibro-axe as he ran past it, making sure to leave the electric puddle untouched.

As the door of the base opened, they were welcomed by the patrol squads. The B1 battle droids stood in front of them, blasters ready, as Lupe and the clones came to a halt. Fang groaned irritated, and she could feel the internal screaming inside him. He was probably still badly in need of that caf. “It’s just B1s; we’ve had worse tonight,” Lupe said in encouragement, as she gave him a gentle bump with her elbow. He sighed, scratched his neck and readied his blaster.

“We’re here for a surrender,” a commander droid, recognisable by its yellow markings, declared. Lupe stepped forward and ignited her lightsaber. “Yours, I presume?” she shot at them tauntingly. The droids looked at each other confused, before the clone squad opened fire and the first battle droids were eliminated. They started to fire back at the clones, but Lupe came jolting forward, moving almost unreal as she used the Force to leap from left to right, dodging their fire and slashing any droid on her way. It didn’t take long for them to take out the patrol units.

Lupe looked around, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. The only thing that remained of the droids were steaming heaps of scrap metal. She sheathed her lightsaber as she watched the clones emerge from their cover inside the data centre. She gestured towards the forest, where their shuttle was positioned. “Shall we, gentlemen?” she smiled, before they jogged towards their transport.

---

Their return back to Coruscant seemed to go faster than the outward journey. Claw was piloting again, as Fang was sitting in the co-pilot chair, dozed off. Twist was in the back of the shuttle, checking his gear, as Lupe and Ragnar sat opposite to each other on the uncomfortable benches at the centre of the shuttle. She was looking at the datapad with the extracted information as it laid on her lap, fidgeting with her silver, braided hair, lost in thoughts.

“We definitely need a more decent shuttle next time,” Ragnar said to her, breaking the silence. A subtle smile on his helmetless face, which she would have noticed if she had looked up. But she was deep in thoughts, still staring at the datapad. She answered him with a low sound coming from her throat, but Ragnar wasn’t sure if his remark had really reached her. “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking,” he continued, more concern in his voice this time. Lupe abruptly looked up at him, and he hadn’t seen her eyes this serious since they had met. “What kind of data did we extract?”

It took her a moment to come up with a witty answer, but she didn’t feel like sharing her own concerns with the sergeant. This was their first mission together, and although she had a soft spot for the clones in general, she didn’t really know this one yet. She wasn’t ready to trust him, trust him truly. So she had to come up with some silly remark, which was harder than usual.

“Questions like this can get you into trouble, sergeant,” she answered, forcing a smile on her face as she looked him in the eye. Although Ragnar questioned the authenticity of the smile, he did see her eyes soften. “At ease, sarge,” she said when he didn’t respond, afraid she’d frightened him off. “Don’t worry, I’m not that kind of General.”

She sighed as she put the datapad on the free spot beside her and looked back at Ragnar. “We only got the order to extract the data, not to get ourselves acquainted with it. I haven’t read it,” she finally responded, and although there was more to it, she was telling the truth. Ragnar moved to the edge of his seat, closer towards Lupe, before asking his next question: “Then why is it bothering you so much?”

Lupe was taken aback by the directness of the question; she hadn’t met a trooper yet that had been so bold towards a Jedi directly. Not without a good amount of booze, anyway. She swallowed as she put her arms around her stomach, an instinctive reflex of protection as she suddenly felt vulnerable. A surge of uneasiness through her body; not because of Ragnar, but because she felt vulnerable. She didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to distress you,” Ragnar said, sliding back into his seat. How was this man seeing through her? She knew clones as good, loyal soldiers, caring brothers, some even with a great sense of humour. But she hadn’t met one with such empathy before. Her eyes darted around the shuttle as she was lost for words.

“I, er- it wasn’t you, sergeant,” she finally spoke, softly as to not alert the others. “I haven’t read the data, but I have a feeling it’s something that.. Makes me question my beliefs.” As soon as she had spoken the words, she regretted them. Why was she telling this clone about her concerns towards the data, the mission, and indirectly towards the Jedi Order itself, this clone she had met not even one standard rotation ago?

“But I shouldn’t be concerning you with this. My bad, sergeant,” she said flatly, getting her emotional wall up again. She had slipped for a moment; she couldn’t let that happen again. They were in the middle of an all-determining war, after all. She took the datapad and secured it to her belt, before she got up and walked towards the cockpit. Ragnar reached for her arm, but changed his mind before he could grab her. It wouldn’t be appropriate. He sighed as he leaned backwards, not uttering another word for the remainder of the journey.

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks

As Claw piloted the shuttle into the hangar smoothly, Lupe noticed Master Plo Koon waiting for them near the entrance. She smiled, and her spirits were up again immediately. The shuttle landed with a subtle thud as the boarding ramp lowered. Lupe departed the ship, followed by her clone squad. She halted, turning back towards them before she met with her former Master.

“Lone Wolf Squad, great work today,” Lupe spoke to them, eager to finally reveal the squad’s name she’d come up with. She thought it was fitting to a small, special unit that was part of the Wolfpack. “You really showed quick thinking and effective teamwork back there. I’m looking forward to our next mission,” she continued, nodding to them in approval and as thanks. The clones straightened their backs as they shot her a salutation. “I’ll be back after the debriefing. Drinks are on me,” she smiled. As she turned around to face her former Master, she felt Fang’s excitement when she mentioned the treat.

“Koh-to-yah,” Plo Koon greeted her as she reached him. She returned the greeting as she bowed her head to respect him. “How was your mission?” he asked curiously, as they started their walk towards the High Council Chamber for her debriefing. A grin on her face and a flicker in her eyes as she answered him: “Just the way I like it: exceptional.”

...

Epilogue

Lupe had handed over the datapad as soon as she had walked into the High Council Chamber. Her thoughts and feelings balanced this time, she didn’t show any of her concerns. The Jedi Council was pleased, almost surprised at their success, but it had proven to them: Lupe was capable of leading this squad, and thus she would continue to do so.

As they had wrapped up the debriefing and were ready to move on to a different topic, one that didn’t require Lupe’s presence, she dismissed herself before returning to her squad: “Now, if you’ll excuse me; I owe someone a caf.”

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lonewolflupe · 2 months ago

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aLoF ch15 | Ascension Of The Mind's Guilt

I hope you're mentally prepared for this chapter, because I'm not. This chapter's main event was actually one of the first scenes I came up with whilst creating Lupe's backstory (I know, I'm real fun at parties).

Summary: when Lupe finally finds the strength to accompany her squad on another mission, she finds herself in a new mess; one that affects the entire galaxy Rating: Teen and up (but please check the tags!) Tags: angst, hurt, dark thoughts, trauma, guilt, swearing (usage of slang); yeah this chapter's a real banger Words: 6.135 Characters: Lupe (OC), Trooper Ragnar (OC), Trooper Claw (OC), Trooper Fang (OC), Trooper Twist (OC), CT-7567 Captain Rex, CT-5597 Jesse, Anakin Skywalker, ARC-5555 Fives (sort of), unidentified clone troopers aLoF masterlist | AO3 ch14 < | ficlet < | ↓ | > ch16

19 BBY, Coruscant | GAR Barracks’ Hangar

Breathe in. Breathe out. Deeply in, slowly out. Breathe.. Don’t let it consume you..

Lupe opened her eyes as she blew her last controlled breath out. It was time for a new mission; the first one since Fives. She had prolonged this moment for as long as possible, since she hadn't trusted herself earlier. She felt like her connection with the Force had weakened since she lost Fives, since she started questioning her Jedi beliefs on a daily basis.

But there was still a roaring war going on throughout the galaxy, and if she didn't pull herself together now, well, she might not be able to ever again.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Ragnar put his hand on her shoulder. “You alright there?” he asked softly, making sure only she could hear his words whilst the boys behind them were readying their gear. Lupe shot him a quick smile. “As ready as I'll ever be.” He granted her another of his rare smiles, and she felt better instantly. “You're not alone; we’re with you,” he said comfortingly, before turning around again to finish up.

When they were all geared up and had gathered their supplies, the squad crossed the hangar towards their shuttle. Lupe let her gaze wander the premises, an old habit she had gotten used to, to see if she could spot Fives between the troops. A sharp pain in her chest erupted when she realised what she was doing. Kriff. She did notice a lot of blue though; apparently, the boys from the 501st were shipping out as well. At that moment, she laid her eyes on Captain Rex.

Without realising, she slowed down her pace, falling behind her squad. Ragnar was the only one to notice; he halted and gently touched her bare upper arm to get her attention. “It’s alright, go to them; we’ll be waiting at the ship,” he said to her, his voice low but genuine. She smiled at him, mouthing a silent ‘thank you’, before jogging off towards the Captain.

Rex was barking out orders to his troops when she reached him. She halted a few steps away, waiting patiently as she didn't want to interrupt him. “Jesse, no, not.. Not there,” he shot out, his voice becoming quieter and evolving into a deep sigh. He started rubbing his temples with his gloved fingers. A faint smile appeared on Lupe's face. “You look tired, Captain.”

“I'm always tired,” Rex mumbled under his breath, before realising who had addressed him. He snapped out of his fatigue and looked up at Lupe, a newly found enthusiasm on his face. “Lupe- General, sir,” he managed, slightly surprised at her sight. Lupe chuckled softly, folding her arms. “At ease, Captain,” she told him, trying to grant him a moment of tranquillity. “Yessir,” was his affirmatory reply, as if she had given him an order, but he managed a broad smile anyway.

At that moment, he noticed something about her attire; a new addition to the small collection of clone armour she used to wear during the war. He swallowed, as a bittersweet feeling took a hold of him. Attached around Lupe's neck, on top of her shoulder pieces, were Fives’ pauldrons. He fell silent, and she was afraid she had unintentionally put him in an uncomfortable situation. Her eyes darted around and she started fidgeting with her silver hair. “I-Is it inappropriate to wear them?” she asked him shyly.

He took a deep breath, making sure there was no tremble in his voice before he spoke. “No, no, it’s not. It’s- it’s perfect,” he eased her mind, the bittersweet feeling reflected in his smile, as she could feel the pain of loss behind it. Breathe in, breathe out, she thought to herself, trying to not break down on the spot. Without thinking, her fingers touched the ‘5’ tattoo on her upper right arm. Suddenly, as he had clearly regained himself, Rex chuckled softly.

"You've grown since Geonosis. I still remember that lost Padawan back in the corridor. It's been a while since then, kid,” Rex said as he brought back the memories, amusingly calling her the same nickname he had given her during their first encounter. But she was far from a kid now. "So much has happened since. It's been only three years, but it feels like a lifetime," Lupe sighed, her gaze sliding away from Rex’s, her mind wandering. A few seconds passed before Rex replied. "Yeah, I know. You've come a long way since.” Lupe’s gaze shot back to his instantly, and she managed a genuine smile on her face before replying: "We both have.”

Their moment was interrupted when Jesse came jogging towards them, addressing the Captain when he had nearly reached them. “Everything's prepped, ready for- General!” he interrupted himself, as soon as he noticed Lupe standing behind Rex. The brightening expression on his face lightened Lupe up immediately. “Pleasure seeing you ready for action again,” he nodded at her, after noticing the Lone Wolves waiting for her at their shuttle in the hangar beyond. She happily greeted him with a forearm shake.

“Those pauldrons look good on you,” he said to her, as he was checking out the newest addition to her attire. “Same for you, ARC trooper,” she chuckled at him, since this was the first time she talked to him since his promotion. He briefly stood at attention, proudly showing off his new outfit, especially his pauldrons and kama. “Proves they’re still promoting di’kute* into ARCs,” she said jokingly to him, remembering an earlier conversation at 79’s; a moment that seemed so far away now.

*di’kute = idiots, useless individuals

Jesse eased his pose and started laughing at her remark, a sound that mellowed her broken heart; it was good to hear a clone laugh again. With a smirk on his face, Rex shook his head. “What would that make the person promoting those di’kute?” he added to the light conversation. In a gesture of innocence, Lupe put her hands behind her back, before whispering in reply: “My lips are sealed.” It only resulted in more laughter.

The diverting moment was interrupted when the built-in comm device in Rex’s helmet started beeping. He activated the transmission, and they could all hear General Skywalker’s kind yet urgent voice: “Gotta go, Rex; Obi-Wan’s waiting for us!” After Rex shot his General a quick reply of affirmation, Lupe asked where they were headed. “Yerbana, sir. Somewhere near Christophsis,” he sighed, as he was remembering one of his first battles during the Clone Wars. Lupe shot him a comforting smile, shifting her eyes from Rex to Jesse and back. “Good luck out there. And May the Force be with you.”

Just when she started to turn around, ready to head off to start her own mission, Rex put his hand on her pauldron to stop her from leaving yet. “Sir, I, er- I’d like to talk about what happened. With Fives. And after. There have been.. developments,” he said nervously, shifting on his feet, not knowing if he had chosen the right words. Jesse tilted his head, looking at Rex wonderingly, whilst Lupe turned back around. Her eyes, being bright and alive earlier, had turned dull and hollow. “I don’t want to keep your General waiting any longer. Let’s have that talk when we’re all back; I’ll treat the both of you to a drink at 79’s,” she replied flatly, forcing a half-smile on her face, before she continued her course.

“R-right, sir,” Rex replied, nodding somewhat absently as he watched her turn around again. As soon as she had walked off and was out of hearing range, Jesse cleared his throat and positioned himself at Rex’s side. “You.. You didn't tell her about Fives or Echo yet?” Jesse asked reluctantly. Rex let out a deep sigh. “I didn’t. Seems like the timing is never right. And now.. I didn’t want to distract her from her mission,” he elaborated softly, briefly hanging his head. He took another breath before he looked Jesse in the eyes. “I'll tell her when we're back. Once we're all back. We'll find time then.” He smiled and patted the ARC trooper on his pauldron, determined to follow up on his words after their upcoming battle, before they headed to the ships to set course to Yerbana.

---

Outer Rim | Space

Lupe glanced over to the boys, as they were huddled together in the cockpit, laughing as they were enjoying some time together before they would have to focus on the mission ahead. She sat remotely in the back of their shuttle. She didn't feel like her old self, and although she felt slightly better getting back on a mission with the boys, she wasn’t sure if she was ready yet. Fives was still so fresh on her mind, and at this point, she didn't know if she would ever regain her spark of life. He was her spark, her galaxy, and now with his death, it was all gone.

Trying to shift her thoughts, she focussed on the missions she had been on with her squad. The memories they had made. But right now, everything reminded her of Fives, because every mission had a connection to him. Their turbulent first meeting when she was celebrating her Jedi knighthood, not long before her first mission with her squad to Raxus. How considerate he had been when she had found herself in the Halls of Healing after Basanos, sending her that fruit basket. The tension between her and Ragnar during Kepler, unintentionally caused by him. How he had pulled her from the darkness after Talbhin.. And now, how he could never pull her from her darkest thoughts ever again.

It didn't help that the clones shared the same faces, and her squad reminded her of Fives every time she looked at them. Without thinking, her hand touched the tattooed ‘5’ on her upper right arm again. She knew she would never forget him, but with the tattoo, she felt like she was carrying him with her. Always.

A deep sigh as she picked up the datapad, hoping informing herself on the mission's details would distract her mind. They would always just head over to the coordinates and check on their objectives on the way; it had never really been a problem, although she did start questioning some of the Jedi's motives behind their objectives.

As she read through the details, her eyes skimming through the words again and again, her breath caught in the back of her throat. This wasn't a regular mission; this was a kriffing suicide mission. She looked up from the screen to the boys, still brotherly together at the front of the shuttle, before she swallowed.

What was she supposed to tell them? As the Clone Wars had gained momentum, and odds finally seemed in the favour of the Republic, the end of all the destruction seemed near. How could the Jedi Council ask them to conduct this suicide mission at what seemed the final moments of the war? Didn't they deserve better, after all they had done for the Republic, all they had been through?

Lost in thoughts, the datapad slid out of her hands and hit the floor with a thud. Most of the squad didn't seem to notice, but Ragnar looked over towards her, immediately concerned when he laid eyes on the General. She looked so vulnerable, so small; so lost. He looked back at his brothers, making sure they continued their comradery before walking over towards Lupe. She didn't seem to notice him, which worried him even more. After all their time together, they had grown such a strong bond. She was more than their General; she was their vod.

Ragnar sat down on one knee in front of her, picking up the datapad and placing it on the seat beside her. He took her hands, holding them gently into his to warm them, as her fingertips felt cold. “Lupe, what is it?” he whispered, making sure the boys didn't notice, so Lupe would feel comfortable to speak her mind freely. She turned her gaze towards him, her eyes empty.

“I've got a bad feeling about this one,” she whispered, before looking at the datapad Ragnar had just retrieved from the ground. He swallowed, but didn't answer. They were clones; born for this life, born to follow orders, born to complete missions. What was he going to do, turn himself against the Jedi Order?

“Don't tell the boys,” she whispered even softer. “Not yet, at least.” He could swear he saw tears starting to well in her eyes, before she regained herself. He nodded at her, promising he wouldn't. There was no benefit in telling them their demise was near. She closed her eyes as she moved her forehead towards him, and he responded by doing the same. Their foreheads touched, and for a moment, they remained like that, easing both their minds.

---

Outer Rim | Albarrio sector | Gelida Nix (Separatist Occupied Planet)

They had landed on a harrowing icy planet. Patches of mist covered the air like a shroud. As they had neared their landing spot, they had seen stretching white hills, lakes frozen shut and vast coniferous forests. They departed the shuttle, and as they walked towards some cover, Lupe looked back at the shuttle. An ominous feeling crept up to her. She tried to shake it off whilst leading the squad forwards.

They positioned themselves in an old foxhole in the midst of a trench system, remnants of the Clone Wars’ earlier days. Lupe stared through the electrobinocular that Twist had kindly provided her, as always. She could see the commando droids hiding within the trees. With a sigh, she put the binocular down. There was no cover; no way they were going to get through to their objective unharmed. They were going to get injured, and not all of them might make it out alive. An invisible grasp around her throat made it hard to breathe as she thought about what would happen as soon as they would advance.

When she turned around towards the boys, her gaze briefly locked with Ragnar’s. He gave her an encouraging nod, and at this moment, she didn't know if she would be strong enough to continue if it wasn't for him. As her sergeant, he had always stood by her side, getting her up and having her back. Now that her world seemed to shatter around her, her galaxy already taken from her, he and the squad were her only safety net. She didn't know if she could ever put into words what that meant to her. What they meant to her.

“Alright, boys,” she finally spoke, thinking about how she would word this, trying her hardest to keep her voice from trembling. But she had to be honest with them; they trusted her, and no power in the galaxy would make her break that trust. “I have to be blunt with you; I'm not liking these orders one bit. This.. This seems like a suicide mission,” she sighed, as she noticed the boys stiffening and getting serious. “I'm afraid stealth isn't going to help us this time, and there's no cover to rely on.” She swallowed as she looked from face to face. These men, her troops, her brothers. The orders came from higher up, but it felt like she was ordering them to their deaths personally.

“Promise me one thing. If anything happens, if you get hit or can't continue, let me know. I will do everything within my power to protect you, to keep you safe, to.. To keep you from harm's way,” she continued, swallowing the lump as it formed in her throat. “I owe you that.” The boys looked at each other, before nodding, shooting her a slightly confused ‘yessir’.

“Alright, ready yourselves. I will search for the best opportunity,” she said, dismissing them from the mission briefing. As they started readying their gear, Ragnar walked over to her and put his hand on her pauldron. “Whatever happens, it's been an honour, Lupe. If today is our day to die, we'd be proud to do so at your side,” he spoke, before turning around and returning to the men.

Lupe stood frozen, nailed to the ground. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away with the palm of her hand. Slowly, she turned around to gaze through the binocular again, hoping she could find a point of access less tight than what she had seen so far. But she was fully aware there wasn’t going to be a better opportunity; she was merely prolonging the inevitable moment.

“Incoming message,” she heard Ragnar saying behind her, towards his brothers. She didn't reply, as the remark wasn't meant for her. But she thought it was odd, strange even; normally, any incoming messages would come through her. As she started to dwell on it, her stomach turned. A sudden darkness took over. Although there wasn't a change in the weather, a shadow fell upon her. She felt ripped from the inside, as she heard voices in her head, shouting and crying out, before they died down. As if hundreds of souls were silenced.. A great disturbance in the Force.

No.. Her nightmare.. Fives.. Not again..

As she grasped towards her chest, trying to protect her heart from shattering even further, she started turning around to the boys, searching for solace from her brothers and hoping their incoming message would clarify anything that had just happened. But as soon as she started to face them, her heart dropped, and her breath was caught in the back of her throat.

All four clones of the Lone Wolf Squad were pointing their blasters directly at her. Her mind raced as she searched for a logical reason, but nothing could explain this. “Vode..?” she asked confused, frightened, shaken. It was Ragnar who addressed her, his voice stoic and stern; the complete opposite from how he had addressed her just moments ago. “You have been branded a traitor to the Republic and are hereby marked for immediate termination by Order 66.”

No, this couldn't be true, this couldn't be happening. A traitor to the Republic? She tried recalling what she had done wrong to brand her a traitor to the Republic, but nothing came to her. Ever since the war had started, she had been nothing more than a servant of said Republic, risking her life day in, day out to do its bidding. And the love she had for the troopers of the Republic's Grand Army..

..the same troopers who were currently pointing their blasters at her. As the tension increased, she saw their hands starting to shake, as if they were trying to fight something within, trying to define what it meant to be a good soldier.

At that moment, Twist fired the first shot. As his hands were shaking, his aim slightly diverted, the shot grazed Lupe on her upper left arm. She cried out in pain when it hit her flesh, as the laser bolt burned away her skin, deforming the Wolfpack tattoo she was proudly wearing. Her instincts made her reach for her lightsaber, igniting it to protect herself. It was the very push the clones needed, and all hell broke loose.

A barrage of fire was being shot her way, being shot from the blasters the clones were aiming at her. She deflected the shots, but she found herself totally out of balance with the Force as she was completely taken by surprise, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of her troops. Her brothers. A few of the shots hit her armour and scraped her skin, and she grunted at every hit. She flung her lightsaber around, preventing any critical hit, but she wouldn't deflect the shots back at her men. She wouldn't kill them. She couldn't.

Tears were running down her cheeks as she stood face to face against her own brothers, trying to protect herself from them. She remembered all the lightsaber training she had given them back at the barracks; teaching them how to move and where to aim if they would ever find themselves against a lightsaber-wielding opponent. She could never have imagined it would be her. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with some clever trick, some creative way out, but nothing came to mind; all her wit and creative thinking was lost on her.

But she knew she couldn't keep this up forever, and she didn't want to hurt them. They were everything she had left..

With an immense effort, as it felt like she had now completely lost her connection with the Force, she sent out a Force-push towards the men, making them stumble and fall backwards. It wouldn't eliminate them, and it wouldn't keep them down for long either, but it gave her the distraction she needed. She jolted out of the foxhole, leaving the trenches and her troops behind her, as she ran for the forest, towards the Separatists.

She heard clanking sounds as the commando droids came jumping out the trees, trying to ambush her. But evading them was surprisingly easier on her own, when she didn't have anyone around her that needed cover or protection, no accompanying team. She didn't have anyone around her..

She slashed her lightsaber around, releasing a surge of rage that resulted from her confusion, her fear, her devastation and her losses. She felt cold when a darkness crept inside her, slowly growing larger. She took down droids, trees, and everything in between. She jolted forward, hacking down everything in her path, without looking back.

Appearing in front of her was the Separatist base that had been their initial target. She stormed forward, not bothering to check on any threats, as she didn't really care anymore at this moment. She barged into the base's grounds, slicing down every droid she encountered, both battle droids, astromechs and maintenance droids, not seeing any difference at this very moment. There was a haze before her eyes she had never experienced before.

As she progressed, she noticed a small Separatist cargo freighter. Without dwelling on it, she boarded the shuttle, powered it up and launched it into the air. She had to get out of here. Some shots from down below hit the freighter’s hull, but the droids weren't able to fully attack her; she had overwhelmed them completely by her sudden and rageful appearance.

Lupe made the shuttle fly as fast as it could before punching in some random coordinates. As soon as the navicomputer had calculated a safe route, she punched the switch and the shuttle jumped into hyperspace. The stars seemed to blur even more than usual during hyperspace, as her eyes filled with tears.

---

Unknown location | Space

Time crept away as the shuttle drifted aimlessly at its destination. There was nothing around it, except for the darkness filled with faraway stars. Lupe sat in the pilot seat, her knees pulled against her chest, arms wrapped around them, as she stared into the nothingness. Dried tears stuck to her scraped cheeks.

She had tried contacting fellow Jedi, but none responded. A static noise came from her comm device before she shut it off. Her mind drifted off, dwelling on the hundreds or thousands of voices she had heard screaming out. What did it mean? Had all the clone troopers turned against their Jedi Generals? Did this mean.. All those voices, had they been Jedi killed at that exact moment? That couldn’t be true, right? … Right? Was Master Plo Koon one of them..? She pulled her knees tighter as she sunk her face between them, trying to search for a logical, less painful explanation.

But she couldn’t find one. As the dark thoughts piled up into her already overflowing mind, and since her earlier rush of adrenaline had worn off, she found herself starting to panic. Every breath she took seemed to tighten her throat, making her gasp for air, as her heart was beating uncomfortably heavy inside her chest. She tried searching her pockets for a nervestick, but she wasn’t carrying any. The boys had been right, of course; she never carried her own gear. Twist had always been around to provide her with whatever she needed.

Twist.. Her hand slid to the burnmark on her upper left arm, a throbbing pain on the spot of impact. After everything they had been through, after everything that they had shared, how was it possible that her brothers had turned against her? What did she do wrong? Was it retaliation for all the clones she couldn’t save during the war? But surely, out of all the clones, the Lone Wolves knew how much she cared for them? How much guilt she felt for every loss?

Her hand slid further, until she reached the unimpaired skin, remnants of her Wolfpack tattoo still visible. Master Plo.. Had he been with the 104th, with Wolffe, during whatever had happened? Surely the Commander would have protected Master Plo against any threat, giving him a fair trial? Yes, they had such great respect for each other; Wolffe would never hurt Master Plo. He was like a buir* to him. It eased her mind, and she started to breathe more evenly again.

*buir = parent/father

She had to find out what had happened to the Jedi, but she knew she couldn’t just return to Coruscant to walk in the Jedi Temple, as she had the feeling she wouldn’t receive a warm welcome there. No, she had to find a different way. If something had happened to the Jedi, to the whole Jedi Order, it must be on the HoloNews. It must be known on the inhabited planets throughout the galaxy. She didn’t dare showing up on either a Republic or Separatist occupied planet, but she knew a few neutral ones. She let them cross her mind, as she decided which one would be least logical for a Jedi to show up.

Ah, Oba Diah. That one would do. The planet, home to the Pyke Syndicate, was surrounded by dark, dishonest beings. They wouldn’t come searching for a Jedi there, and as long as she didn’t stand out as one, she was sure she wouldn’t attract too much attention. She looked around in the freighter’s cargo hold, cursing herself for not wearing a cloak back on the icy planet she had just fled, when she noticed a dark cloth laying around. That had to do.

When she returned to the shuttle’s cockpit, she entered Oba Diah’s coordinates in the navicomputer. As the shuttle calculated its journey and eventually shot forward into hyperspace, Lupe sat back in the pilot seat again, contemplating on what she would find out on Oba Diah.

---

Outer Rim | Kessel Sector | Oba Diah

She didn’t like Oba Diah one bit when she walked through its capital’s alleyways. The place was filthy from the scum and villainy that resided there, dealing with their unclean businesses. The hair on the back of her neck was standing upright as she pulled the cloth around her face more tightly. Her lightsaber's hilt was hidden beneath the rags, but she made sure she could reach it if she needed it here.

When she rounded a corner, she noticed a cantina up ahead; she walked straight for it. Inside, she sat down at the cantina's bar, ordered a beverage and looked up at the screen behind the counter. No HoloNews, but flashy advertisements for best arm dealers, pleadings about the most popular spice consistencies, and the current top bounty hunters. This place was something else. With a subtle gesture, without anyone noticing, she changed stations to the HoloNews. At least the Force still granted her this trivial action.

“Today, in breaking HoloNews: the fall of the Jedi Order. It has come to the Senate's attention that the Jedi have committed treason against the Republic. With swift acting, the Galactic’s Grand Army was able to terminate the Jedi threat, resulting in the fall of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and thus the ending of the war. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, personally affected by the Jedi's treachery, has now declared the first Galactic Empire. We are entering a new age.”

As the irritated bartender switched the channel back, Lupe's breathing stopped as the words echoed through her mind. The GAR terminated the Jedi threat.. Her worst fears became reality as it confirmed what those voices had meant, crying out in her head. The Jedi had been killed, slaughtered, because they had been branded traitors to the Republic. And they had been killed by those who had been fighting loyally at their sides during the war; the clones. No Jedi would have seen this coming.

She staggered away from the bar, leaving her beverage untouched. She made for the exit, her head spinning. When she finally found herself back inside the shuttle she had confiscated from the Separatists, she had no recollection of her way back to it. She sat down in the pilot's seat, her chest heaving, her breathing heavy, as she gasped for air.

“No no no,” she cried out loud in disbelief, as her body started to panic again. How could this be possible? How in the known galaxy did the Jedi commit treason against the Republic, and how in the vast Wild Space beyond it did the clones turn on them? What sick turn of faiths was responsible for this? This couldn't be true. This couldn't be happening. She knew the clones; they wouldn't do this. They were loyal, good soldiers; they were the best brothers. They were.. They were everything to her.

Her body started shaking and she gasped for air, the lack of oxygen causing black spots before her eyes, her vision already blurred from tears.

It's okay, I’m here.

Fives’ voice echoed through her mind and pulled her back together. She focussed on her breathing, returning it from shallow gasps into deep, even breaths, clearing her head instantly. She closed her eyes and tried to picture him. Not like the last time she had laid eyes on him; his head shaven and his body on a pyrohover, engulfed by blue flames. But him during life, being honest and righteous, but also silly and mischievous, but mostly loving and caring. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have one last moment with him, just them together..

“Fives, I need you.. I- Everything's so kriffed up. I'm.. I'm losing my kark over here,” she said out loud, grasping her hands to her head out of despair. Her heartbeat was rising again, her body tensing and her throat tightening. Her eyes twitched vigorously behind her closed eyelids.

We didn't do anything wrong this time, right?

She huffed out of irony. “Well, it looks like we kriffed up big time,” she replied, putting her arms around her before she started cradling herself, rocking back and forth, trying to keep calm as her mind started overflowing again.

Then tell me about it.

His voice was so calming, so comforting, so soothing. She stopped her motions, her heartbeat dropping again, being able to breathe evenly. A tear rolled down her cheek. “I'm not sure what happened, Fives. The clones.. They turned on the Jedi. On all of us. Apparently, we committed treason against the Republic, but I don't know what we did wrong. What I did wrong.”

That sure sounds like a nightmare.

“Yeah, but it's kriffing real! And you know what? It's just like my nightmare, I even told you about it. Everything came true! And you.. You kriffing left me! You left me behind, just like that!” The tears were flowing from her eyes by now. She knew it wasn't fair to blame him for leaving her, to blame him for his own death, but she was so mad at the galaxy right now. She was just bawling her eyes out - and her sorrows along with it.

I didn't ask for any leave.

“You didn't just leave. You kriffing died, Fives! You.. You left me- You left me behind. I'm.. I'm so alone,” she started shouting, but as she progressed venting her feelings, her voice became softer, finally drowning in sobbing. It took a while before she heard his voice again.

That's the neat part when you're stuck together; you're there to support each other.

She sniffled before wiping away some tears. “But we're not; we're not stuck together anymore. You're not here anymore. Wait, are you still with me?”

Always.

Kriff. There seemed to be no ending to the tears after that; she would rather get hit by blaster fire again than continuing to succumb to this devastating heartache. But then it dawned on her: if she had the choice, she would do it all again. Even if she knew it would end with Fives’ death, she would gladly start over. Every moment with him had been an absolute pleasure, as he had painted the stars in her galaxy, warming her heart and had strengthened her life's energy. And now, she needed to be strong. She had to carry on for him.

This.. It's bigger than any of us, than anything I could have imagined. I never meant to.. I only wanted to do my duty.

The words hit her like an elevated speeder train. She realised she didn't know what exactly had happened to Fives. She knew Rex had been there, and she sure as hell knew Fox was the one who had shot him. But what had made the Commander do it? What had driven Fives to his actions? Why did Rex never tell her about it? She had wanted to ask him, but.. She always thought they had more time.

She cleared her throat and wiped away her tears. “Kriffin’ hell, Fives. Where am I going to start? What do I do now?” she asked him, trying to pull herself together. “We need to come up with a plan.”

Already got one.

She managed a smile on her face; she would never tire from that sing-song tone to his voice. “Alright my cyare, what's your plan?”

When in doubt, always use the Hutts.

She frowned her eyebrows in confusion. “You want me to go to the Hutts? What help can they possibly provide me with? I don't want to end up a kriffing wall decoration.” She swore she could hear him chuckle.

There's even toast.

“What? Fives, what the kriff are you talking about?”

Rex might be using it as a caf stand.

“Why would Rex use toast as a caf st- Wait, you want me to find Rex? I-I'm not so sure if meeting up with a clone is my best option right now.”

He'll live.

“I have no intentions of changing that, but since he's a clone and I'm a Jedi, I'm currently not too confident about my own chances of survival.”

Wait for my signal.

“What signal? Fives? Fives?!?” She finally opened her eyes, almost expecting to see him standing next to her or sitting opposite to her, but he wasn't there. With a sigh, she leaned back into the pilot's chair. “I don't want to be alone tonight..,” she whispered, hoping he would reply with something along the lines of ‘I can arrange that’, but there was nothing. His voice didn't return that night.

Everyone she knew was either a clone or a Jedi; and currently, the former were ordered to kill the latter. She had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. She felt terrified, shattered, and most of all, utterly alone. She had absolutely no clue if her ‘conversation’ with Fives had been anything substantial or if it had just been a fantasy, made up by her brain to comfort her from her sorrows. But since she had nothing to lose anymore, she didn't see any harm in following up on the trail.

So she entered a new set of coordinates into the navicomputer and set course for Tatooine.

…

Epilogue

The galaxy was changing rapidly. And although there had been signs and hints, Lupe could never have imagined anything would have led to this point. To this mess she had found herself in.

It seemed like her recent nightmares had been visions after all, and she blamed herself for not recognising the difference. She blamed herself for not being there when Fives had needed her the most. She blamed herself for not seeing any of this coming to prevent it. She blamed herself for every clone's death.

She blamed herself for all the misery in the entire galaxy as a dark cloak shrouded it. Her mind darkened, and at this moment, she could feel only one thing: guilt.

For the attentive reader: all Fives' lines during their 'conversation' are actually lines Lupe heard him speak in the previous chapters.

Next week's chapter (which will be published a bit later since I will be away for most part of next Monday) will be the last in a chain of angsty chapters; I'll try to be kinder to Lupe after that! I'll take a little break after chapter 16 tho (just label it as a mid season stop/break), but I'll try to get new chapters out as soon as possible!

Thanks for sticking with me and getting this far with reading my fic, I really appreciate it <3

0 notes

lonewolflupe · 3 months ago

Text

aLoF ch11 | Downfall Of The Sane Mind

Join the Lone Wolves on another mission! There's Obi-Wan and Cody, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex, Fives and Jesse, and a Republic Senator in need of rescuing. Lots of action packed fun, action packed horrors, and action packed mental breakdowns (I warned you this was going to get darker from this chapter on).

Summary: the Lone Wolf Squad is requested to rescue a Republic Senator Rating: Mature Tags: canon-typical violence (description of battlefield), swearing (usage of slang; kriff/kriffing = fuck/fucking, kark = shit), angst, mental breakdown Words: 7.788k Characters: Lupe (OC), CT Ragnar (OC), CT Claw (OC), CT Fang (OC), CT Twist (OC), CC-2224 Commander Cody, CT-7567 Captain Rex, ARC-5555 Fives, CT-5597 Jesse, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Senator Bail Organa, unidentified clone troopers, unidentified clone medic aLoF masterlist | AO3 ch10 < | ↓ | > ch12

20 BBY, Coruscant | GAR Barracks’ Hangar

(Before Umbara Campaign)

“S-sir, there's an incoming t-transmission at the s-ship.” Twist’s voice startled Lupe, because she didn't expect someone would come looking for her here. She was located at her usual spot, sitting between some left behind crates at the very edge of the hangar. She felt pleasantly at ease at this spot, between the clones; she was able to think more clearly here than back at the Jedi Temple.

“Wait, at the ship? Who is it?” Lupe shot up straight at once, adrenaline taking over instantly. Twist shrugged in ignorance; he hadn't lingered around to find out, as Ragnar had ordered him to go and find their General right away. He joined Lupe as she jolted back towards the ship. It was highly irregular for them to receive transmissions at the ship when they were back at Coruscant. If the Jedi Council wanted them on a mission, they would contact Lupe directly.

“.. she'll be here, sir,” she heard Ragnar say as she sprinted up the boarding walk. His voice was serious; it always was, but he would regularly let his guard down when they were together with the squad. She imagined he was addressing someone higher up in command. When she entered the ship's cockpit, she was welcomed by the blue glow of a hologram. Cody.

“Commander,” Lupe greeted him, a slight tone of surprise in her voice. She recollected her memories from the last time she was around him; which had been during her secret get-together with Fives. At the officers' refreshers. A blush appeared on her cheeks, and she was glad it wasn't visible over the holotransmission.

“General, glad you could make it,” Cody said to her, nodding before getting straight to the point. “We're in a bit of a situation and we could really use your squad over here,” he continued, averting his gaze for a moment when the sound of an explosion could be heard near Cody’s position. “We found ourselves in a bit of a dire spot and, er- Could use some assistance.”

All the boys had joined Lupe in the cockpit by now, and were listening to Cody's transmission in fullest concentration. They now looked up at their General in anticipation, awaiting her reply. A smirk appeared on Lupe's face right before she addressed the Commander. “Where do you need us, Commander?”

---

Mid Rim | Lambda Sector | Talbhin (Separatist Occupied Planet)

As always, Claw’s piloting skills had made the journey a rather tolerant one. The hyperspace journey towards the Separatist occupied planet of Talbhin, located in the Mid Rim, hadn't taken too long. Cody hadn't been able to share any more intel about the mission, as he was obviously under heavy fire. But Lupe was sure they'd find out soon enough.

Claw landed the shuttle at the rendezvous point, and when they had geared up, they departed their ship. Once outside, Lupe was in awe by the sight of the planet around them. Apart from the destruction the war had brought, Talbhin was beautiful. Its slightly humid rainforest terrain was filled with colourful foliage, giving off a neon-like glow. It was a picturesque scene, and Lupe wished she could have beheld it without the war ravaging through it.

What actually made her heart skip a beat was the sight of ARC trooper Fives in full attire, the neon glow of the plants behind him painting an unworldly spectacle on the white plastoid plates of his armour. Oh Maker. He was standing at the edge of the clearing, accompanied by several 501st troopers. Lupe bit her lip, trying to regain her focus; she was here on a mission, for karking out loud.

As the Lone Wolf Squad reached the end of the boarding walk and made it to the planet’s surface, Commander Cody came walking towards them, Captain Rex at his side. The fighting had died down, but Lupe knew from experience it was only temporary.

“Commander, Captain, so good to finally meet you out in the field,” Lupe said, granting the officers a quick, respectful nod in greeting. “General, Lone Wolf Squad, thanks for freeing your schedule,” Cody started as soon as they had reached the squad. “I tried getting my usual Batch for this one, but they were.. unavailable,” he admitted, almost apologetic he had dragged them out here.

But the Lone Wolves loved a challenge, and didn't mind getting into some action. Lupe huffed at the Commander's confession. “So we were only your second choice?” she shot at him, trying to sound disappointed, but the playful tone in her voice and the way the corners of her mouth twitched into a smirk gave away she was just teasing.

Rex chuckled under his helmet, but Cody proved a bit more hard to entertain. He was probably exhausted from his General dragging his former Padawan along on the mission, and Cody was just filtering out all the sassy and witty remarks that had been shot around the place.

“We're currently setting up a field command post to plan our next moves. The Generals will join us shortly. We'll let you know when we start our briefing,” Cody said plainly and practically, before turning around and marching off to his troops, shouting orders along the way.

Rex stayed behind, watching Cody marching away before he took off his helmet, putting it under his left arm. With his other arm, he gave Lupe a forearm handshake. “Don't mind him; this was supposed to be a two rotation job, but it's been seven now. He's been here from the start,” Rex elaborated with an apologetic smile on his face. “No harm done, Captain. We're just glad to be of any help,” Lupe shot back at him, before loosening the grasp from their shake.

“I'll go see how they are progressing with that command post. Won't be long now,” Rex said as he nodded to the squad. He turned around to walk off, but hesitated, and turned back towards Lupe. He sighed, shaking his head; he didn't believe he was going to say this. “I know someone's excited about your arrival for, er- different reasons, sir,” he said in a whisper, just loud enough for Lupe to hear over the sounds coming from the encampment.

A smirk appeared on her face, and as Rex walked off to go check on said command post, Lupe noticed Fives had neared them. He was standing at the edge of the rainforest, awkwardly shifting on his feet whilst waiting for both Cody and Rex to disappear.

Lupe turned around to the squad, who were making themselves comfortable at a nearby collection of cargo crates for as long as they had to wait to receive their intel. “Please excuse me for a moment, boys,” she said to them, her mind already elsewhere, before she strode off to Fives’ location as casually as possible.

Ragnar grunted as he was fidgeting with his vibro-axe. “I’m still not sure about his intentions,” he remarked in a low voice. He looked at the ARC trooper sideways when their General reached him. Claw leaned his elbow on the crate at Ragnar’s side. “He was known as a bit of a womaniser, back at the barracks and 79’s,” Claw reacted to Ragnar's distrust, his gaze sliding past his sergeant towards the couple.

Fang joined them, crossing his arms as he didn't divert his eyes from the scene they were witnessing. “I've never even seen him with a woman, before the General,” he added, snorting out of aversion. Twist was the only one who wasn't looking at the scene, granting their General the slightest privacy she could get under the circumstances.

“She s-seems happy,” Twist said softly, almost too shy to go against his disgruntled brothers. Ragnar looked up at him, appreciating Twist's optimistic view on the matter, but the concern about their General's well-being weighed heavier on him. “Yeah, that's what I'm worried about,” he said with a sigh, afraid Fives would eventually crush that happiness one way or another.

The field command post was nearly finished, and when a portable holomap of the nearby area emerged, all present officers were being assembled. With what almost seemed like a loving smile on her face, Lupe put her hand on Fives’ crossed arms for a moment, before walking off to join the field briefing.

Fives still had his gaze on Lupe as she walked away, his helmet under his arm by now. He was unaware of the smirk that appeared on his face, as he was very much lost in thoughts - probably bringing up memories of a certain moment at the officers’ refreshers, not that long ago. He didn't notice Ragnar walking over to him, in a slow but confident strud. The sergeant was holding his vibro-axe in one hand, and was sharpening its blade with the whetstone in his other hand.

He halted in front of Fives, a bit too close for his liking, but he was an ARC trooper; he wasn't quick to be intimidated. Ragnar didn't look up from his axe as he addressed Fives. “If you ever hurt her, just know we'll come for you,” he said slowly, in a low and threatening voice. Fives raised a brow whilst slightly turning his head towards the sergeant. “And why would I do that?” he huffed. Ragnar shot him a quick look; there was a fire in his eyes. “You tell me,” he bit back, before wandering back to the other Lone Wolves.

Fives parted his arms and let them hang, shrugging his shoulders in a confused gesture. He watched as the squad granted him threatening looks - except for Twist, who was clearly very uncomfortable with everything.

Jesse came walking over, grinning from ear to ear as he slapped Fives on the pauldron, his other hand on his hip. “I see you're befriending wolves again,” he snickered. Fives shook his head. “Why are they all like that? Were they all personally raised by Wolffe or something?” Jesse couldn't help but laugh at the remark, although it was clearly less amusing to Fives.

“It’s escalating from bar fights into receiving serious threats now,” he continued his complaining, not letting the Lone Wolves out of his sight. Another chuckle from Jesse. “Brother, if I remember the stories correctly, you started that bar fight. Besides, it doesn't help you’re doing- you have a thing going on with their General,” he shot at him, an amused smile on his face.

With a wild shrug, Fives shook Jesse's hand from his pauldron. “So you're taking their side now?” he shot at his brother, but there was an amused tone in his voice. Jesse smirked. “Not at all. It's just.. I know what a pain in the shebs* you can be,” he laughed, bumping his shoulder into Fives’. “And I love you too, vod*,” Fives replied, putting his arm around Jesse's shoulder.

*shebs = ass | vod = brother

---

When Lupe neared the field command post, excitement started to well up within her. Already waiting at the post, she could see Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, accompanied by Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka. Lupe would never forget this day, where she and her Lone Wolves were going to accompany both the 212th Battalion and the 501st Legion on their mission.

When Ahsoka noticed Lupe, her face lit up. “Master Lupe!” she shot out, making the other Jedi look up at her. Lupe smiled; it hadn't been the first time Ahsoka had called her Master, and although she was far from ready from ever being one, it felt endearing coming from the Padawan. “Koh-to-yah, Ahsoka,” Lupe greeted her in Kel Dor, Master Plo Koon’s language, as she knew Ahsoka spoke some of it as well.

The Padawan’s eyes glistened. Anakin chuckled at her side, before turning towards Lupe. “It seems you already wrapped up my Padawan, but what about my Master?” he said teasingly, crossing his arms as he nodded towards Kenobi at his other side. “Former Master,” Obi-Wan corrected him with a sigh, before turning towards Lupe. “Glad to see you outside the High Chamber, for once,” he remarked to her, a bit stern, but with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Give her some slack, Obi-Wan. She was brave enough to stand up for the clones. That doesn't happen too often,” Anakin shot at his former Master. “Yes, which we all very much appreciate, but you're forgetting we still have a war to win,” Obi-Wan continued, more of an argument towards Anakin than holding it against Lupe. She stood just by, amused by the bickering, as Ahsoka joined her at her side. “They're always like this,” she whispered to Lupe, who couldn't help but snicker.

“If you had taken me off your leash, I could have finished this mission four rotations ago,” Anakin grunted, whilst pointing into the direction of the frontline. Obi-Wan stroked his ginger beard as he continued the discussion. “Although I appreciate the fact that would have given Cody some rest, I do have to remind you there are some delicate components to this mission. And we all know how things turn out when you get involved.”

Just when Anakin opened his mouth to return Obi-Wan’s wit, Cody cleared his throat to get their attention. He had been standing there during the entire discussion, and was too tired to hear any more of it. “I'm sorry to interrupt, Generals, but we have a campaign to complete,” he contributed to the conversation, sounding more tired with the minute.

Obi-Wan, standing next to him, briefly put his hand on his Commander's shoulder piece. “Do promise me you'll get some rest after this, Cody,” he said to him, concern in his voice. Cody slightly shook his head. “With all due respect, that solely depends on how quickly you ship us off to our next mission. Sir,” Cody shot back, before focussing his attention on the hovering holomap in front of them.

“If you could focus on the briefing for a moment, that would be much appreciated,” Cody sighed at last. Lupe couldn't help but chuckle as she gazed upon the chaos of these officers, and felt better about her own unique way of handling things.

“Quick heads-up for General Lupe, since she's fresh off the ship,” Cody started his briefing. “We've been trying to take a hold on Talbhin’s capital city, Talglee. Our initial intel seems to have been outdated, and the occupation proves harder than anticipated.” Lupe was sure she could hear a weary sigh under the Commander's helmet.

Lupe averted her gaze from the Commander when Captain Rex joined them at the command post. She stiffened when she noticed Fives was with him. She swallowed as she was trying to balance her thoughts, afraid the present Jedi would pick up any wandering feelings she wasn't supposed to have.

Obi-Wan turned towards Lupe, and for a moment, she thought he was going to address the shift in her emotions. But he was merely adding information to the briefing. “What our scouts seemed to have missed,” he said, his voice disgruntled, but Lupe didn't know who was to blame for the recon mission to retrieve the intel, “Is the fact that there was a Republic senator on an unapproved aid mission towards the capital.” Lupe noticed Cody shaking his head again.

“He was captured at arrival and is now being held hostage. We have to take cautious yet swift action if we want to accomplish both our goals; occupying the city and getting the senator out alive,” Obi-Wan elaborated. “And unharmed, preferably,” Anakin added.

Cody continued the briefing. “I'll get the 212th in position to hold our lines at the front, allowing us to advance as soon as you give the clear.” Anakin took over from Cody. “We're gonna get the 501st inside the city as a distraction for you, Lupe, so your squad can get in and secure the senator.”

Rex slightly leaned towards Lupe, his expression lost to her under his helmet. “Don't worry sir, I got my best distractor with me,” he chuckled, whilst subtly gesturing towards Fives. As Lupe grinned, Anakin crossed his arms. “I'm disappointed, Rex. I thought I was your best distractor.” Rex shook his head, a sigh under his helmet. “You, sir, are my worst responsibility,” he shot, making a grin on his General's face appear before Anakin turned towards Lupe again. “So Lupe, what are your thoughts?”

Lupe stepped forward, getting closer to the holomap. “Besides feeling privileged for witnessing this excellent briefing,” she started, resulting in a mixture of snickering and sighing around her, “I'd like to know the senator's current position.” She watched the holomap, aware of the shield that was guarding the city from wall to wall; they couldn't just hop over and enter through the front door.

Cody extended his arm to point at the holomap. “Our latest intel puts him in this spot,” he said, as he pointed out a tower at the side of the city, attached to what seemed like a luxurious residence. “What can you tell me about the place?” she asked the Commander, her gaze focussed on the area on the holomap. “Residential home of Talbhin’s most esteemed family. Associated with the Separatists, of course,” he answered her.

Lupe was silent for a moment, gently stroking her chin, pondering over an idea how they could handle this delicate mission. “You got any scans on underground tunnels, Commander?” she asked slowly, as a plan started to form in her mind. Cody hesitated for a moment, not sure what the General was aiming at. He added another layer to the holomap, showing some tunnels - exactly underneath the residence.

“How did you know there were any tunnels?” Cody asked her. A smirk appeared on her face. “An esteemed family on a hot, humid rainforest planet. They need a cooling cellar and storage for their wine inventory,” she elaborated, waving her hand as if it had been obvious all along. Obi-Wan and Anakin shared a silent look, both impressed and amused.

“They probably have a secret entrance to make restocking easier,” she continued, leaning forward as she examined the residence's area on the map up close. “There. That's our entry point,” she said eventually, pointing out a slight anomaly in the landscape, just outside the city's walls. “Alright, we'll divert their attention to this side of the residence,” Anakin added, as he pointed out the spot on the map.

“It's settled, then,” Obi-Wan finally concluded, nodding in agreement. “Cody, ready your men. Anakin, don't do anything I wouldn't do,” he addressed them, before turning towards Lupe. “Oh and Lupe; try not to destroy that wine inventory in the process,” he said with a somewhat concerned look on his face, but a hint of amusement in his voice.

Lupe grinned, before slightly bowing her head towards him. “I'll see what I can salvage,” she said, as Obi-Wan smiled at her. “Alright. May the Force be with you,” he concluded, before walking off with Commander Cody.

Anakin walked over to Rex and Ahsoka at Lupe's side of the holomap. “Alright Snips, time to get back into action,” he said to her, grinning from ear to ear. “Ready for it, Skygu- Master,” she shot back at him, before accompanying Rex to the troops. Fives lingered around, and Anakin shot Lupe an amused smile before wishing her good luck on her mission and walking off.

When it was finally just Lupe and Fives, she turned around towards him, placing her hands on her hips. “Yeah, Rex is right; you are quite the distractor.” Fives snickered proudly, before moving a bit closer to her. He would have loved to pull her close, but he knew he couldn't risk it; they were too exposed out here.

His demeanour changed and he awkwardly started fidgeting with the rim of his kama. “I, er- please be careful out there,” he said in a soft voice, before looking her in the eyes through his visor. Lupe smiled amused. “You're forgetting I was already being trained when you were still in a tube,” she laughed at him, bumping her fist against his chest armour.

For the briefest of moments, he put his hand on top of hers, as she held it on top of his chest. She tried finding his eyes through his visor, and a soft smile appeared on her face. “Same to you, trooper,” she whispered, before walking off to brief the Lone Wolves on their mission.

---

The boys got up from the crates when Lupe neared them, getting into focus. Fang crossed his arms before addressing her. “Let me guess, ‘stealth is the key’?” he asked, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice. Lupe clicked her tongue, being as enthusiastic as ever. “You got it.”

She quickly briefed her troops on their mission, and since they had already readied themselves during Lupe’s absence, they were able to move out quickly. They left the rendezvous point on foot, so they wouldn't draw any attention as they found their way to the residence's walls.

They used the planet's foliage as cover as they advanced through the landscape, an occasional explosion in the distance reminding them of their mission's objective. They stayed as quietly as possible, afraid they would be detected otherwise - and let everyone down.

When they finally neared the residence's walls, they found cover behind some overhanging plants. It didn't take Lupe long to spot the hidden entrance, as the location stood out in the landscape. In a small hill near the wall, there was a discrete, angled door, almost like a hatch.

She pointed it out to the boys. “Why would you create such a weak point to your fortified city?” Fang whispered as he raised an eyebrow under his helmet in amazement. “Everything for booze, dear Fang,” Lupe replied in a whisper, a smirk on her face.

She got her comm device out and contacted General Skywalker. “We're in position,” she let him know in a soft, low voice. “Great, now wait for our signal,” Anakin's voice sounded over the transmission. And so they waited.

They didn't have to wait long. A massive electric shockwave, coming from an electromagnetic pulse grenade with long range, filled the sky near the city's main gate. Well done, Fives, Lupe thought with a smile on her face, knowing this was their cue.

She gestured to the boys to follow her before she crouched towards the hidden entrance. When she reached its door, she made room for Twist. “Alright, tell us if you need anything,” she whispered, as Twist got to work. Claw and Fang stayed on the lookout for any possible Separatist presence.

It took Twist longer than usual. He sighed and grunted as he was working, but the door stayed shut. “Talk to me,” Lupe shot at him eventually, as all of them were getting nervous; they had to get inside. “I-I-I’ve never s-seen anything like this b-b-before,” he stammered, taking him more effort to get the words out due to his nerves. “I-I’m afraid I'll t-t-trigger an i-internal alarm if I-I-,” he continued, before being interrupted.

Twist watched with pure anguish as Ragnar's vibro-axe found its way into the door's control panel. Electric whirring emerged from it, before the door slid open. Ragnar pulled his axe out of the crevice it had created, before putting his hand on Twist's shoulder. “Sorry vod*, time’s up,” Ragnar apologised in a low voice. Lupe shot Twist a comforting look, before helping him to his feet.

*vod = brother

They advanced into the tunnel cautiously, not knowing what they would find inside. The narrow hallway was dark, but the clones’ visors made them able to see clear enough whilst Lupe’s vision quickly adjusted to the darkness.

Silently, they made sure every adjacent room was clear before advancing towards the next room. They didn't encounter any threats; only lots and lots of wine. “I really prefer something stronger,” Fang sighed in disappointment.

When they finally found stairs, they didn't hesitate to use them, as they knew for sure they had to ascend the building if they wanted to reach the tower. Ragnar was in the front, his blaster comfortably on his left forearm to keep it steady. After what seemed an eternity of steps, they finally reached another level.

They had to make a choice: advance into the hallway in front of them to examine this storey, ascend more stairs, or get outside onto an adjacent balcony. As Lupe was making her choice, the mechanical voices of B1 battle droids came echoing through the hallway.

The squad jolted onto the balcony, making sure they stayed out of view as two of the droids passed them through the hallway and ascended the tower. “I definitely need some oil from all these stairs,” one of them yammered, followed by the other: “Yeah well, I need reprogramming after visiting that mouthy senator again.” Gotcha. Lupe smiled contently, as the droid had just told her they were nearing their target. The squad definitely was on the right track.

They waited until the droids descended the stairs again, returning into the hallway from where they had appeared earlier. Fang and Claw made themselves ready to get to the stairs, but Lupe stopped them. “Let's try something else,” she whispered, whilst looking up at the remainder of the tower above them.

There wasn't a lot of tower left. She guessed two storeys, three at the most. The balcony was an excellent position, as it gave a great overview of the area. They could keep an eye out on the fighting below, and could observe any patrolling droids in the hallway.

“Alright, I need you guys to stay put until I give a signal,” she told them, readying herself for some Force jumps. Before she could, Ragnar heavily put a hand on her shoulder piece to prevent her from leaving yet.

“You have your comm device on you? I'm sure Cody's not gonna be happy if they have to rescue the rescue squad,” he said to her in a low voice, looking her straight in the eyes through his visor. Lupe's lips curled into a smirk and her brows raised into a confident frown. “Have some trust in me, sergeant,” she shot at him amused, toying the comm device around between her fingers as she showed it to him, without averting her gaze from his visor. She appreciated his concern, though.

“See you in a bit,” she said to them, before Force jumping upwards. She clanged to the tower's outside wall, before making another jump. And another. When she couldn't jump any higher, she pulled into the Force to focus.. And focus..

Yes, the senator was definitely on this storey. She could feel his presence. He didn't feel scared, but impatient, frustrated; annoyed, even? Making sure she had a good grip, she carefully released one hand, and slowly reached for her lightsaber's hilt. She could feel the nerves from the boys down below her, and silently scolded them for not putting more trust in her skills. She could do this.

She put the hilt against the tower's wall and ignited it. It went right through the masonry. Slowly and steadily, she moved her lightsaber around in a circle, just big enough to fit a grown human male through. When she finished the circle, she sheathed her saber and reattached the hilt to her belt.

Slowly, she Force pushed the stone circle inside the room, careful to not let it fall - she didn't want to draw unwanted attention. After she gently guided it to the floor, she jumped through the hole. With a smooth movement, she rolled over the ground before she got up on her feet.

There, in the room before her, stood a man in his forties, with a well kept hairdo, a thin moustache and a neatly trimmed goatee. His attire was elegant; his robes were more colourful than Lupe was used to seeing around the Jedi. His face lit up before he addressed her.

“Master Jedi! Finally someone civilised!” he called out, raising his arms in a welcoming gesture. “Don't get your hopes up too soon,” she shot at him, making little effort to sound amusing, as she took in her surroundings and made sure the room was clear before she allowed a smile on her face. “You must be Senator Organa,” she continued, walking past him to check on the door. Senator Organa followed her around with his gaze. “I am, and fully left into your hands, so it seems,” he replied.

Lupe raised a brow, not sure what to expect from a politician. She had never been this close to one before, and had gladly left the politics to them. “Let's see how capable they are,” she whispered under her breath in a reply to the senator, before returning to the hole in the wall. She carefully leaned outside, peeking down below before she got her comm device out.

“Ragnar, could you shoot up your grappling hook?” she asked through the device, before stepping back and waiting for her sergeant. Senator Organa subtly coughed behind her. “I was hoping we could use the stairs,” he said cautiously, forcing a smile on his face when Lupe looked at him over her shoulder. “Obviously, this isn't the Senate Building,” she remarked, quickly adding a ‘sir’, as she wasn't sure how to address a senator.

The grappling hook came jolting through the hole, hit the ceiling and bounced down to the floor, cable dangling behind it. Lupe picked it up and hooked it around the edge of the hole, tugging it with some force to make sure it held.

This time, she was the one receiving the comm transmission. “B1s incoming,” she heard in a whisper, but it was all the information she needed. She had to hurry. She jolted back towards the door, and with her ignited lightsaber, melted the door's locking system. It wouldn't give them much time, but any delay would help their departure.

She ran back towards the hole in the wall, and gestured outside. “Your ride is ready, Senator,” she said, her best attempt to sound civilised, as he was so much hoping for. Senator Organa swallowed before walking over to the hole and peeked outside. He had been trained in his younger years, but he felt like he was getting too old for these kinds of exercises.

As he was figuring out what would be the best way to descend, Lupe could hear the clanking legs of the droids as they neared the top of the stairs. “Now's the time, Senator,” she shot at him, all her efforts of sounding civilised failing. The senator nodded, and with some hiccups, managed to slide down the cable, where her troops took over in aiding him.

Lupe waited until the senator was back on his feet before she took the grappling hook and tossed it back down, making sure it was available to Ragnar again whenever he needed it next. She positioned herself inside the hole, and carefully Force pulled the stone circle back into it, making sure it would take the droids longer before noticing what had happened. At the last moment, she jumped clear to make room for the stone wall, and as it neatly fitted back into its original spot, she gracefully landed between her troops on the balcony down below.

“Piece of cake,” she smiled whilst wiping her hands. Senator Organa was still regaining his breath, as he looked at her in confusement. “I would like to agree with you, but it seems we're still finding ourselves on hostile ground,” the senator spoke, smoothing out his robe with his flat hands. Fang chuckled, before addressing the senator: “Wouldn't call it ‘ground’, sir.”

Lupe ordered Claw and Fang to watch the hallway and the stairs, knowing the B1s upstairs would notice the absence of their prisoner shortly. She wasn't planning on finding out what their alarm would trigger. She turned to her sergeant to concur with him. “Same way out?” she asked him, shooting a glance over his shoulder into the hallway, expecting more battle droids any moment now.

“Wait, you don't have a plan?” the Senator shot out in disbelief. “Improvising is our speciality, sir,” Ragnar told the senator, trying to ease his mind, but it might have resulted in the opposite of the desired effect.

Just as Lupe was readying herself to cross the hallway, aiming for the stairs down, Claw pushed his hand against her shoulder to stop her. “Overstayed our welcome again, sir,” he said in a low, serious voice. When Lupe cautiously looked around the corner, she noticed ranks of battle droids marching their way. Kark.

“Yeah, what's new,” she said under her breath, before turning around and walking to the edge of the balcony. She stared down, before turning towards the men. A smirk reappeared on her face. “I'm not going to like this, am I?” Senator Organa sighed, as Ragnar put a hand on the man's shoulder in comfort.

“Alright, it's grapplin’ hour,” she said amused, as the clones chuckled and readied their grappling hooks. The senator rubbed his temples, not looking forward to what was coming next. Ragnar kneeled down as Claw gently nudged the senator towards the sergeant, urging him to get on the clone’s back. Organa complied reluctantly; mostly because he didn't want to find out what his other options were.

The clones hung their hooks around the balcony’s bannister, checked if they held alright, and started their descent. Lupe stayed behind for a moment longer, making sure their descent progressed smoothly. When the droids neared her location, she jumped on top of the bannister. Just as they turned the corner and started aiming their blasters at her, confused about her presence on the balcony, she faced them, stretched out her arms horizontally and let herself fall backwards.

Organa gasped when the Jedi fell past him, but the clones didn't look up; they were used to Lupe doing things like this. She landed on her feet, straightened herself and looked up to her troops. “What's taking you so long?” she smirked at them, putting her hands on her hips casually.

The boys detached the cables from their belts and came falling down the last part, as the cables were some metres short. They now found themselves on the roof of the residence, and Lupe was overlooking the area to find their way out. The shield that guarded the city was still up, so they weren't able to jump off the ramparts. Going back into the tunnels seemed to be no option any longer either.

Lupe sighed as she turned around and walked over to her squad. They were adjusting their armour and gear after their somewhat hard landing, whilst Twist was helping the senator back to his feet. His previously well kept hairdo was a mess, his neat robes now in wrinkles. “I'm sorry Senator, dry cleaning is at the expense of the Republic,” Lupe shot at the senator, who was just beyond words. A huff was the only sound he made.

“Alright, squad,” she started as soon as they had gathered around her. “Seems our only way out is the obvious way in.” She pointed at the main gate, where the 501st was still raising hell. “I’ll let General Skywalker know we're heading their way, so hopefully they'll decrease any friendly fire.”

The senator stiffened beside Lupe. “Hopefully?” he proclaimed, his voice almost roaring. “I appreciate your rescue attempt, but I'm starting to think I might have a better chance of staying alive by talking my way out!” Lupe turned towards him, crossing her arms whilst patiently waiting until he was finished before addressing him.

“As it has come to my attention, your aid mission was unapproved, so you knew it was going to be a risk and you took it anyway. A lot of clones are risking their lives right now, giving us a chance to get you out, and I assure you, not all of them are going to make it. This is war. Please consider that the next time you sit comfortably behind your desk.”

He swallowed as her words sank into him, but she didn't wait around to see if he had anything else to say. She took out her comm device and contacted General Skywalker. “Lupe, what’s your status?” Anakin's voice asked over the transmission, almost shouting to get over the sounds of the fighting. “We picked up the package, but our initial exit is unavailable. We're heading your way,” she briefed him, making him aware of their arrival.

She turned around and faced the senator. “Sir, we would appreciate it if you'd come with us, so the clones’ sacrifices won't be for nothing,” she urged him, but it almost sounded like an order. “Of course,” he spoke softly, not daring to resist after her recent outburst.

---

As they found their way through the city's streets, she was fully aware of the vulnerable position they were in. She hated it, and she suddenly understood some of Wolffe's gruffy attitude after all the relief and rescue missions he'd been on.

What made her feel even worse, was the fact she had ordered her squad to protect the senator with their lives. She wouldn't forgive herself if anything happened to one of the boys, and she certainly wouldn't forgive the senator. But she deeply hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

When they neared the main gate, and the heavy fire with it, she commed Anakin to provide their current position. She turned towards her troops one last time before they would barge into the chaos. “Alright vode*, cover the senator, but be careful. I'll be at your side to protect you as best I can,” she said to them gently, looking into their visors one by one. “This isn't the worst we've been through,” she concluded, a faint smirk on her face as she was trying to give her speech an amusing twist. “Let's go.”

*vode = brothers

Lupe ignited her lightsaber before she turned around the corner. In the clearing in front of her, the main entrance looming at the back of it, the horrors of war were painfully present.

Explosions had torn holes into walls and roofs, buildings that had been homes to people, to families. Personal belongings were scattered about in the streets, being blown out of shattered windows.

Charred bodies and body parts of both native soldiers and clone troopers lay scattered around, and when she noticed the state of some of them, she realised they must have been laying here for the full duration of the campaign.

Huddled against a broken wall, hardly offering any cover, a 501st trooper sat rocking back and forth. He was grasping his upper arm, his lower arm barely attached to it anymore. Lupe's heart broke, but she couldn't help him.

She couldn't let her thoughts linger, as her objective was to get the senator to safety. The boys covered him with their armoured bodies as they found their way across the clearing, Lupe trying her hardest to deflect every laser blast that was being shot their way. An occasional shot made it past her, leaving a charred mark on the armour of her troops. She didn't realise it hurt her more than them.

A wave of relief washed over Lupe when she noticed Anakin and Ahsoka heading their way, troopers from the 501st not far behind. “Glad you're here to join the party, but it looks like they didn't grant us an invitation,” Anakin shouted out jokingly, but Lupe couldn't help but notice his eyes were dark, the death around them weighing a heavy toll on him as well.

The Jedi and his Padawan helped Lupe protect the senator and thus her squad, until they made it through the main gate. As Lupe made it through herself, she noticed there wasn't really any gate left. The only thing left was electrical whirring, remains of the electromagnetic pulse grenade’s explosion they had witnessed earlier.

When they had all made it through, Anakin commed his former Master. “Obi-Wan, we've made it out, including the senator. The city's all yours,” he told him, before the sounds of explosions and blaster fire increased behind them.

---

The adrenaline was still pumping through Lupe's veins when they made it to the rendezvous point. As the troopers scattered about to catch their breaths, to attend to injuries and nervesticks were being distributed, the Jedi and the senator found themselves at the field command post.

Anakin briefly put his hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder, a comforting gesture after what they had been through, before he turned towards Lupe. “What happened with the underlying tunnels, didn't they work as an exit as well?” he asked her with a smile, trying to lift some tension after the latest events. “Obi-Wan didn't want us to destroy those fine wines, so we had to find another way out, obviously,” she smirked at him, glad she was still able to come up with a witty remark after what she had just witnessed.

At her side, Senator Organa coughed subtly, as to get their attention without asking for it out loud. Lupe turned towards him, not sure if she could handle one more of his remarks. “Master Jedi, what- What is your name?” he asked instead, and she raised a brow in surprise. “It's Lupe. Just Lupe,” she replied, trying to be a bit more polite this time.

“Well, Just Lupe,” he started, a genuine smile appearing on his tired, sweaty face, “I'd like to thank you. And I'd like to apologise.” A bit startled, because she wasn't expecting neither, Lupe turned her whole body towards him, curious to learn what else he had to say.

“You were right; partly, at least. Back at the Senate, we do sit in our comfortable chairs, pondering over what laws and acts should pass or be turned down. But we're so far away from the war, unaware of the actual horrors it brings. Although I'd have rather not seen what I witnessed here, I thank you for reminding me today.”

As Lupe stood there, watching him and listening to him in silence, his body started shaking slightly as the adrenaline wore off. He put his hand up in an apologetic way, before continuing. “Now please excuse me, I have to sit down, because I'm clearly not meant for this close-up action anymore.” Lupe couldn't help but smile in an affectionate way; maybe this politician wasn't that bad after all.

A LAAT gunship descended in their proximity, and Anakin walked over to the senator to put his hand on his shoulder. “There's your ride, Senator. Our troops will look after you until you're back at Coruscant,” he comforted Organa. The senator nodded in thanks, before turning towards Lupe again.

“If you ever have a moment to spare, come find me at the Senate Building. Maybe we can have a more civilised talk at my comfortable desk, talk things out,” he said to her, choosing his words carefully to amuse her, but he meant them anyway. Lupe made a small bow towards him. “I'd like that,” she said in a soft voice, the corners of her mouth forming a careful smile.

“Good to know this all resulted in something positive after all,” he concluded with a wry smile, before excusing himself and walking towards the gunship, being aided by a medic. Before he reached it, he turned around one last time. “Give Kenobi my greetings,” he shouted over the roaring engines of the ship, before he boarded it.

Lupe watched the gunship take off and disappear into the sky, coursing towards the Venator-class cruiser, hovering far above them in space. She was shaken out of her thoughts when Anakin bumped his elbow into her, a smirk on his face. “You just managed to make a politician admit they were wrong,” he said, almost laughing. “Partly,” she corrected him, sharing his amusement.

…

Epilogue

After a very informal debriefing with Anakin and Ahsoka, standing straight started to become harder and harder for Lupe. She thanked them for aiding her squad during their retreat, and excused herself to go check on her men. Before leaving, she made them promise to let Obi-Wan know to share the wine with the troopers as well; they could definitely use some, once they were done here.

The Lone Wolves had made themselves comfortable at the cargo crates in front of their ship again. They had partly taken off their armour, attending to some minor injuries and fixing their damaged armour pieces. She checked on them, and was glad to see they were doing fine; there was nothing out of the ordinary, as this had just been another mission. Lupe excused herself, as she had one last thing to attend to before they could return to Coruscant.

She wandered off into the foliage behind their ship. As the adrenaline was finally wearing off, she felt she was falling apart. She was used to being that tough, witty Jedi General, finding amusement even in the direst of situations to keep up morale, to keep up appearances. But days like this made it kriffing hard to be a General, to be a Jedi. It was taking so much energy to balance her emotions, and now that she was finally alone and was able to give into them, they crushed her like a little shuttle in a meteor field.

Not having the luxury to stop during a mission to allow her body and mind some rest. Being constantly afraid to let the Jedi Order and the clones down, the Republic and the Galaxy with it. The infinite fear of losing one of her men. Not being able to handle another loss. Not having the opportunity to grieve those losses, and the death and devastation of the war all around her. Every day.

Her legs failing her, the dark thoughts getting the better of her, she sank to her knees and hid her face behind her hands. On days like this she felt weak and incredibly powerless, just a small pawn in a dark and menacing galaxy, creeping up and surrounding her before swallowing her whole, spitting her out in a vast, lonely emptiness without ending. The darkness started to consume her.

And then, suddenly, the light reappeared when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in an embrace, tightening the grasp when she started sobbing uncontrollably, the tears rolling down her cheeks in an endless flow of anguish and anxiety. “It's okay, I'm here,” Fives whispered, making sure she could feel whatever emotion she wanted as he cradled her in his arms.

This is where the fun angst begins.

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lonewolflupe · 3 months ago

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aLoF | Lone Wolf Squad

Yesss, it's the Lone Wolf Squad! At long last, I drew them all together (including some armor, so I was finally able to work on some designs). I love this silly bunch so much (I hope nothing bad ever happens to them)! You can read all about them in my fic A Lupe Of Faith.

From left to right: Sergeant Ragnar, Jedi Knight Lupe, and troopers Fang, Claw and Twist.

#lone wolf squad #lone wolves #a lupe of faith #alof #star wars art #clone wars art #the clones #lupe (oc)#ct ragnar (oc)#ct claw (oc)#ct fang (oc)#ct twist (oc)#lonewolflupe #lonewolflupe ocs #lonewolflupe draws #i'm sorry if you're not here for my art but i'm gonna post it anyway

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lonewolflupe · 2 months ago

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aLoF ch13 | Fives Minutes From Falling Apart

Not only did I postpone writing this chapter for as long as I could, I was dreading the day to post it. Well, looks like today is the day after all, and I'm posting it anyway. I just want to tell you I cried whilst writing it, I cried whilst reading it, and I'm crying whilst posting it. I put all my emotions into this chapter and now I'm finally throwing it into the galaxy, help. I hope it doesn't disappoint. Alright see you next week, I'll be crying in a corner until then.

Summary: during a mission with the Lone Wolf Squad, Lupe's galaxy is shattered Rating: Teen and up (but please check the tags!) Tags: angst (major feelings of loss/despair/guilt), mention of death/description of funeral ceremony, emotional hurt/comfort, drinking Words: 4.485k Characters: Lupe (OC), Lone Wolf Squad, CT-7567 Captain Rex, Anakin Skywalker, Shaak Ti, CT-5597 Jesse, CT-6116 Medic Kix, ARC-5555 Fives (sort of), unidentified clone troopers; mentions of: CT-5385 Tup, CC-1010 Commander Fox aLoF masterlist | AO3 ch12 < | ficlet < | ficlet < | ↓ | > ficlet

19 BBY, Separatist Occupied Outpost

(After Ringo Vinda/During the Biochip Conspiracy, TCW S6E01-04)

“Take this, clankers!”

Fang's voice echoed through the corridor, but was overrun by the noise of blaster bolts, followed by the sound of crashing metal as the remains of the droids hit the floor. Lupe chuckled contently before she addressed them. “Alright boys, time to advance,” she shot at them, placing her hand on Twist's shoulder in the process.

The Lone Wolf Squad was on another mission, being tasked to rid a former Republic outpost of the Separatists that had occupied it. The squad had no intel on any Republic survivors or prisoners, and had to move quickly if they wanted to find out as long as any possible survivors were still alive.

Just as Lupe rounded a corner, she felt a disturbance in the Force. A darkness took a hold on her, a shadow emerging and consuming the light. Something was happening..

“Rex..” “Fives..” “This.. It's bigger than any of us, than anything I could have imagined. I never meant to.. I only wanted to do my duty.” “Brother. Fives. Stay with me, Fives! Fives!” “The mission.. The nightmares.. They're.. Finally.. Over.” “Fives? No, Fives. Come on, Fives, don't go! Stay with me. Stay with me. Fives! Fives! Don't go. No. Oh, no..”

The ominous feeling crushed her like a gluttonbug. A cramped feeling took her in its grasp, as if someone wrapped their fingers around her heart and started squeezing. Squeezing until blood came oozing out, until it stopped beating. The breath was knocked out of her lungs, and she gasped for air. Black flashes clouded her vision. She staggered, reaching for the wall in an attempt to steady herself, but she stumbled and fell to her knees.

“The General! Lupe, sir, are you hit?” Ragnar shouted out, jumping towards her to check on her, but there was no reaction. The other clones positioned themselves around her protectively, scanning the area to see where any shots might have come from, but there was nothing to find.

Ragnar kneeled in front of Lupe, carefully taking her face in his hands. As he guided her gaze towards him, her eyes found his visor. He was shocked when he saw them dark and empty; as if she wasn't there. “Lupe, talk to me,” he urged her somewhat demandingly, but with a caring tone to his voice. She parted her lips and started mouthing a word, a name, but there was no sound. A tear rolled down her cheek.

“Please, come back to me- to us,” Ragnar begged her in a whisper, before putting his helmet against her forehead. Moments after, he could feel her hands on top of his, as he still held her face between them. He pulled away, to look her in the eyes again. “Ragnar, something.. Something has happened. I-I-I felt it. It hurts.. It hurts so much..,” she stammered, searching for an explanation, a way to describe it to him.

“We'll find out. We're gonna rush those Separatists and we'll head back to Coruscant as soon as possible,” he tried to ease her, giving her a comforting nod, before helping her to her feet again. But she already knew something bad had happened, and heading back towards Coruscant would only make it more real, worsening her heart-wrenching pain.

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks' Hangar

Lupe had no recollection of the remainder of their mission. The boys had dragged her along, perfectly able to carry on the mission after all the experience they had gained throughout the war. They hadn't encountered any survivors, but they had made sure the threat was dealt with - and any sensitive data available couldn’t fall into Separatist hands anymore.

Back on Coruscant, Claw was piloting the shuttle into the barracks’ hangar, and with every second, the invisible grasp around her heart and throat tightened. When Claw started the landing procedure, Lupe's gaze fell on Captain Rex in the hangar. All hope was gone.

His body language told her enough. Every bit of hope and confidence she still had, left her in a heartbeat. She didn't wait for the shuttle to hit the floor before pushing the entry button and jumping from the boarding walk. With effort to not collapse towards the ground again, she ran over to Rex. Her eyebrows were wrinkled in pain and despair, her eyes already watery from tears.

When she reached him, Rex averted his gaze; he didn't have the strength left to look her in the eyes. “Rex, where is he? Where's Fives?” she managed, her voice coarse as the lump in her throat made it nearly impossible to mutter any words. Rex closed his eyes for a brief moment. “They laid him in the medbay,” he whispered, barely loud enough to become audible.

She jolted past him, her eyes set on the way towards the medbay only; everything else just became a blur.

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks' Medbay

She couldn't breathe. Her head was spinning. Her throat was sore. When the door opened, she could see Anakin and Master Shaak Ti standing beside the bed. A shroud covered the body that laid on top of it.

Something inside her just snapped. She didn't care about the Jedi Code anymore, about being secretive about her love for the clones, for this clone in particular. They could kick her from the Order if they wanted to, she couldn't care any less at this moment. Her galaxy was just taken from her, shattered in the relentless war, and she had no single shred of care to give anymore.

She staggered forward, ignoring both Jedi in the room, and when she made it to the bed, she reached for the shroud. Her brows were twitching and her hands shaking when she slowly lifted it, finally revealing Fives’ lifeless body. She knew; she had known from the moment she felt the disturbance. But now that she was standing at his side, her gaze on his body, she realised this was really happening. It wasn't some nightmare or vision anymore.

“No no no, Fives, please- Please,” she started, putting her trembling hands on his shoulders, gently shaking them in an effort to wake him up, becoming more forceful when he didn't. Anakin walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Lupe, he's- He's gone,” he whispered softly before swallowing. When it dawned on her, she let out a cry; a heart-wrenching cry, chilling to the bone, that even brought tears to Shaak Ti’s eyes.

Lupe sank onto her knees, grasping for Fives’ hand. She squeezed it tightly as she sat crying, sobbing uncontrollably as this loss dawned on her. There was no going back now, no caring and comforting moments, the teasing and the shenanigans. The intimacy and the love he had given her. Her galaxy was taken from her, and her spark died down.

In silence, Anakin gestured to Shaak Ti, and they left the room without uttering another word, granting Lupe some privacy. She lost her sense of time, but there came no end to her tears. They were the only tangible thing left of their bond.

---

A shiver ran down her spine when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She had no idea how long she had been sitting here, and she didn't even feel a presence entering the room. With effort, she managed to look up. Rex was standing at her side, his face filled with pain as he looked down at Fives’ body. He sank to his knees beside her, slightly hanging his head. “I-I'm sorry Lupe, sir, I tried to.. I..,” he started stammering, but he couldn't find the words.

Normally, she would try to comfort him, to ease his mind, because there was no way in the galaxy Rex could have been responsible for Fives’ death. But she didn't this time; she didn't have the will anymore. She looked at him with a hollow expression, as the tears finally stopped flowing. He averted his gaze again; looking at her was too painful.

He wanted to tell her what happened, what had occurred in those last few minutes before disaster struck. But he didn't have the courage; not now, at least. He had to figure it out for himself first, putting everything in place. He would share his findings with her later; there would be more than enough time.

Fortunately for Rex, Lupe was too empty to ask any questions at this moment. Her gaze slid from him towards Fives on top of the bed. His shaven head.. “I've seen this,” she muttered, a chilling coldness in her voice; she sounded detached. Rex raised a brow and looked at her confused. “This happened before. In my dreams. I- I told him about it,” she continued, not averting her gaze from Fives.

Another moment of silence, before she broke again. “I could have prevented this,” she whispered at last, before she collapsed her head into her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks again. Rex swallowed, and pulled her sobbing body into an embrace. He wanted to comfort her, letting her know it wasn't her fault, but words eluded him. So he just pulled her tight, letting her know she wasn't alone, that she was allowed to mourn. She cried what remained of her heart out on his shoulder.

---

Coruscant | GAR Barracks' Hangar

It took a few rotations before Fives’ body was released. The Supreme Chancellor’s personal medical personnel - she was so confused why this had been necessary - had conducted research on him, to figure out what had happened to him - and to Tup, apparently. Poor Tup, as if the death of one brother hadn't been enough for the 501st. Lupe didn't have the strength to inquire about their findings, as she tried to keep away the thoughts of them cutting open and prying inside Fives’ body.

It was Jesse who found her at her usual spot at the edge of the hangar. It was nighttime already, but the many lights of Coruscant prevented total darkness. Instead of inviting her to join them directly, he sat down beside her, where she was leaning her back against an abandoned crate. She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't look up, gazing unfocused into the distance.

Jesse looked at her sideways, not sure what to say. They were all devastated by their most recent losses, but Lupe seemed to take it the worst. “How, er- How are you holding up?” he asked eventually, scolding himself immediately for his stupid question. Lupe blinked, his words pulling her from her thoughts, back into reality. She looked at him, the whites of her eyes red from the crying, her gaze empty, her skin even paler than usual.

He swallowed. “Yeah, no need to answer that,” he added softly, before sliding his gaze to the view in front of him. “We just got his body back. We're preparing him now, and, er- we would like you to attend the ceremony. If that's alright with you, of course.”

Lupe swallowed, leaning forward as Jesse's words dawned on her. She had never attended such a ceremony; it was highly unusual for the troopers to invite outsiders, even as some of them had grown a strong bond with the clones. She wanted to feel honoured, but she couldn't feel anything other than loss, emptiness and guilt. So much guilt.

“Thank you,” she managed at last, although faint, ”I would like that.” She closed her eyes as she tried to picture Fives during the last time they had been together, but all she got was images of his lifeless body in the medbay, his shaven head. She shook her head, eyes opening wide. “Cremation, right?” she whispered, trying to avert her thoughts from the images that flashed in front of her.

Jesse nodded slowly. “Yeah, there's not enough space on Coruscant to bury all our fallen brothers,” he said slowly. Lupe's eyebrows twitched, the heart-wrenching remark weighing heavily on her already sore heart. She looked at him, took his hand and squeezed it in an attempt of comfort.

“I'm sorry. For all the horrors we Jedi put you through,” she managed despite the lump in her throat. Jesse looked up at her, a bit startled by her sudden touch, but he appreciated the gesture. “Heh, not all Jedi are that bad. You, sir, have been a highlight of our days. I can totally see why Fives is- was attracted to you. General, sir,” he replied, averting his gaze from hers as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. For the first time in rotations, Lupe managed a smile on her face. “Thank you, Jesse.”

Lupe hadn't noticed earlier, but all the noise and activities in the hangar had died down. No more arriving or departing ships, no sounds of troopers running about. Jesse got up to his feet and offered her his hand, a caring smile on his face. “I think they're ready,” he said softly, before she took his hand to lift herself to her feet.

When she looked into the hangar, her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipping a beat. The hangar was filled to the brim with clone troopers, present to pay their last respects towards Fives. She noticed a lot of the 501st’s blue, but she could distinguish quite a few other colours. Her gaze slid over the crowd towards the edge of the hangar, where she noticed a pyrohover. On top lay his body. Fives.

Jesse carefully nudged her towards the scene. Reluctant at the first few steps, as she felt she was intruding on a private gathering, she managed to walk over. Jesse walked with her until she positioned herself at Rex’s side, before finding his own place with Torrent Company behind them. Rex shot her a comforting smile. “Glad you could make it, sir,” he whispered. Lupe's brows twitched, as she tried holding back the tears.

After Rex gave her a moment to regain herself, he leaned towards her. “Are you ready, sir?” he asked in a soft, low voice. Lupe took a deep breath with a shaky inhale, before replying with a tremble in her voice: “As ready as I'll ever be.”

Rex nodded and guided her towards the pyrohover. From his neck down, Fives was covered in a shroud. A deep sigh when she realised this was the last time she would lay eyes on him. She gently touched the ‘5’ tattoo on his temple, before leaning forward to press one last kiss on his motionless forehead. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell upon his cold skin.

“Thank you, my cyare*, for letting me be your shereshoy*,” she whispered, soft enough so no one could hear her intimate words; they were meant for Fives, and Fives alone. She pressed her forehead against his, taking a deep breath as she touched him for the very last time. Rex stood a few steps away, granting them this last time of privacy together.

*cyare = beloved, loved

*shereshoy = lust for life and much more - uniquely Mandalorian word, meaning the enjoyment of each day and the determination to seek and grab every possible experience, as well as surviving to see the next day - hanging onto life and relishing it

After delaying the moment for as long as possible, Lupe finally pulled away from Fives. Her eyes started watering instantly, as the moment felt so final. She took another deep breath, before turning towards Rex, as she didn't know how the ceremony would continue. He took it as an invitation to step forward again, and when he reached her, he pointed out which button to push.

Lupe nodded and turned towards the pyrohover’s control panel. She swallowed, her breathing uneven as she reached for the button. She pressed it, resulting in a clicking sound from the igniter, before hissing blue flames emerged from the pyrohover. She took a startled step back when the flames started to lick Fives’ body, started to consume what was left of him. This empty hull that used to contain her galaxy.

When Rex noticed Lupe slightly leaning forward, nearing the flames, he gently nudged her backwards. She snapped out of it, and with a muddled look on her face, she let Rex guide her to their former position. As she tried regaining herself at his side, her gaze slid back towards Fives, where it lingered for the remainder of the ceremony.

Rex cleared his throat and straightened himself, a serious look in his eyes as he stood at attention to address the present crowd. “Ner vode*,” he called out as loudly as possible, so his voice would carry far throughout the silent hangar. He continued: “We are gathered here to remember our fallen brother, Fives. Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum*.” After Rex finished the sentence, hundreds of voices of clones in the hangar chanted Fives’ name, a way to remember him. Tears flowed from Lupe's eyes as a shiver ran down her spine.

*Ner vode = my brothers/sisters/friends

*Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum = I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal

“Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la*,” Rex concluded his speech after the chanting, letting out a heavy sigh. He had recited these words so many times before, but it never got easier. Especially not this time. He relaxed his shoulders and watched over Lupe as she stood frozen at his side.

*Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la = Not gone, merely marching far away

At last, Rex gestured towards Jesse to move forward again. Lupe didn't notice their interaction, Jesse handing over something to Rex, as her gaze was still fixated on the flames in front of her. It was only when Rex returned to her, stepping closer and clearing his throat, she snapped out of her thoughts. “Sir, we thought- We thought you wanted to have these,” he whispered.

Confused, Lupe raised a brow. When she let her gaze slide down, seeing what Rex was carrying, she realised what he was offering her: the pauldrons of Fives’ ARC attire. She put her hand over her mouth, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to pull herself together. She took a deep breath before accepting them. “Rex, I- I-.. Thank you,” she stammered, as she pulled the pauldrons tenderly against her chest.

---

Most troopers in the hangar had scattered by now, going back to their nightly routines. Rex and the remaining core of Torrent Company lingered at the scene of the ceremony, where Lupe remained unmoved. Her mind was blank; she had no clue how to continue from here.

Rex and Jesse shared a look. Normally after the funeral ceremony of a close brother, they would remember and celebrate him at 79’s. But it didn't feel right, leaving Lupe out here, on her own with Fives’ remains smouldering on top of the pyrohover. Jesse shrugged, but Rex gave him a nod, both as approval and as encouragement.

At last, Jesse cleared his throat as he strolled towards Lupe. “General, sir, we, er- We always go pay 79’s a visit, after.. After the loss of a close brother. It's called a aay’han*, you see,” Jesse struggled through his words. Kix shot Jesse a frustrated look from behind Lupe, as Jesse was clearly oversharing and needed to get to the point.

*aay’han = bittersweet moment of mourning and joy; "remembering and celebration” (after the death of a family member)

“So, we thought, since you attended one of our ceremonies now, maybe you, er- You would like to accompany us?” he continued, shifting on his feet awkwardly. Kix emerged from behind Lupe, feeling the need to interfere. “Don’t feel obliged, sir. And if you need some more time here, we understand completely.” He gave her a quick, practical nod.

Her gaze slid from Jesse to Kix, a glassy look in her eyes. She finally turned towards Rex, wetting her lips before she spoke. “What.. What will happen to his remains?” she asked, her voice small and distant. Rex walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder before answering. “When the ashes have cooled down, they will be strewn into the wind. He'll still be here in the morning, don’t you worry,” he said to her slowly, a small smile on his face to comfort her.

She nodded to him, before turning towards Jesse and Kix again. “Then I'd like to come with you,” she said with a faint nod.

---

Coruscant | 79’s

Despite the lively colours of the bar's presentation, 79’s felt bleak without Fives. They sat at one of the booths, silently awaiting the first round of drinks they had ordered. It was becoming painfully clear to the clones how Torrent’s core kept dwindling, whilst Lupe sat fretting about the fact that everyone and everything around them kept continuing their businesses as if nothing had happened.

When the server droid finally served their drinks, they divided the glasses between themselves. “To Fives,” Rex started, raising his glass. The others joined him with their drinks. “For all the trouble he put us in,” Jesse continued, as Kix added: “And for getting us out again - most of the time.” They clinked their glasses and took a sip of their beer. Before putting the glass to her mouth, Lupe whispered: “Our dedication and our doom.”

She gulped down the alcohol at a dangerous speed, and Kix looked at her with concern. She was already calling the server droid over for another round, whilst the boys were still finishing their first drinks. Kix tried to catch Rex’s gaze, but the Captain didn't seem to pay any attention to his surroundings, as he was twirling around the beverage in his glass.

The rounds kept coming, and Lupe seemed to down every drink faster than the previous one. Where they would normally loosen up and continue their night with cheerful bantering as they remembered and celebrated their fallen brothers, this time, the mood stayed gloomy and oppressed. They were painfully aware of the fact the numbers of their close core were decreasing rapidly, the empty seats around them being a cruel reminder.

After a few more rounds, Lupe suddenly straightened herself in her seat. She pushed her half finished drink aside, resulting in Kix raising a brow. “Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me,” she started, her voice surprisingly elated, “I'm in need of a new tattoo.” She got out of the booth a bit clumsily, and as their gazes slid towards the back of 79’s, they noticed the tattooist was in that night.

With some effort, she walked away from them, setting her course towards the tattooist. “You go, girl- General, sir!” Jesse shouted after she got up, swinging his glass around and spilling some of his drink in the process. Rex chuckled at the sight. But the mood shifted back quickly; now that Lupe was out of hearing range, there were a few unspoken matters to be discussed.

Kix swallowed before looking back at Rex. “Did you- Did you tell her about anything?” he asked in a whisper, only just loud enough to get over the surrounding noises. His last interaction with Fives was still fresh on his mind; his cry for help, his distrust, his fear. Kix swallowed again; had there been a way he could have done more for Fives, preventing anything that had happened next?

Rex slowly shook his head. “Haven't had the courage yet. Besides, I need to figure things out for myself first, process everything. I'm not even sure if I know what happened.” He finished the remainder of his drink in one big gulp. “I'll tell her when I put everything into place. Maybe she'll know what to do with it.”

Kix nodded in understanding, before clearing his throat. “Was, er- was Fox at the ceremony?” he asked cautiously, knowing it was a bit of a sensitive subject. Jesse clenched his fist, but Rex sighed and let his shoulders hang. “Haven't seen him, but again, that hangar was packed,” he replied with a wry smile on his face. Jesse huffed, showing his aversion. “I'm glad he didn't show his face. I don't think I could have restrained myself from hitting it,” he shot through gritted teeth.

Rex tried to ease him by putting his hand on Jesse's tensed arm. “Easy, Jesse. I understand that you feel this way towards him, but Fox did everything he should have done back in that.. dreadful situation. Besides, if I know Fox, he's taking this the hardest on himself.”

A moment of silence, before Kix sighed and opened his mouth. “I'm worrying about her. I know it's still early and fresh, but she's- she's not coping well.” Rex shot a glance towards the back of 79’s, where the tattooist was located. “I'll talk to General Skywalker and her Lone Wolves. I think we should all keep an extra eye out for her,” he said softly, his eyes on Lupe in the tattooist’s chair as his thoughts started to wander.

Kix nodded in agreement, but something was fretting him. “Good idea, sir, but.. There's not really a lot of us left. To check on her, y’know,” he said at last, his eyes sliding over the empty seats around their booth. Rex took in the words, but didn't reply; his thoughts were on all the brothers he had lost, the ones he couldn't save. “Yeah, who will be next..,” Jesse said with a sigh, before finishing his drink.

…

Epilogue

Lupe had walked over to the tattooist, located at the back of 79’s that evening. Her stride was determined, although a bit unsteady due to the alcohol in her system. She had a clear picture of what she wanted. When she reached the tattooist, she described her request, but it wasn't anything complex. To most it was just a number, but to her, it was so much more. A reminder of her galaxy, her shereshoy; her lust for life, the enjoyment of her day, the determination of surviving to see the next one.

Fives was gone, but he would always be a part of her. She knew things would get harder from now on; she had to pull herself together now, since he wasn't there anymore to pick her up when she was down.

The ‘5’ the tattooist was currently inking on her upper right arm would be a reminder of him, that she was still carrying him around with her. A reminder that he was always close, a symbol of comfort when she ever needed it.

Besides, she would find solace in the clones she had befriended; his brothers. Even though she didn't know how long the war would last, she knew they would be around, and there would always be clones to fall back on. There wasn't a force in the galaxy that could change that bond.

She found comfort in that thought.

Well, at least I can add a tattoo to Lupe's character sheet *continues sobbing*

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