Forward - Into Shadows

Chapter 2

14:02:07 - Republic Venator Eclectic, Kamino Orbit

Shimmering blue hyperspace lights raced by the Eclectic's viewport, casting deep blue shadows across the ship's bridge. Ledger took in the swirling tunnel of cobalt and cyan like a splash of cool water across his face after running drills. The colors were refreshing in a way Ledger didn't expect. In a way he'd never experienced before. Geonosis was red. Varying shades of red, yes-everything from the blood-colored plateaus in the northern regions to the nearly ochre dunes of sand further south. But it was all still red.

I never thought I could get tired of a color.

A part of him sincerely hoped he'd never visit another desert planet. Not if it was red, at least.

"You'll make yourself sick staring at it like that," Commander Guess murmured, wandering up to Ledger's left. He gave him a discreet nudge with his elbow. "What's on your mind?"

Nothing. That was the first answer Ledger had. Nothing was on his mind, because between the full-fledged, exhaustion-induced headache throbbing above his sinuses and the fretting he'd done over Kamino's security, there wasn't room for anything else.

"I'm just tired," Ledger answered, blinking into the whirlpool of light. "How long until arrival?"

Guess checked the chrono fixed on his gauntlet-one of thousands of instruments arrayed there. "Some twenty minutes?"

"Has everyone been briefed on the situation?"

"Yes, sir. The Eclectic will be battle-ready the moment we exit hyperspace, and the Catalyst and the Vantage has troops ready to deploy as soon as you give the word."

"No need." Ledger felt his skin prickle at the very notion of dismissing his troops, especially when Kamino was at stake, but he had orders to follow. Orders always came first. "I'm under orders to keep our efforts strictly in orbit."

Guess's quiet at his side indicated that he had similar fears. There were so many brothers on Kamino. Young men. Children. Infants. All undergoing the finest military training the galaxy had to offer, yes, but still young enough to have skin as soft as Ithorian sage and eyes struck with wonder. Still young enough to cover their ears at the sound of blasterfire. To break an arm after tripping over their own unpracticed feet.

Too young to fight. Too young to die.

Ledger wasn't daft enough to voice his opinions out loud. No clone was. But he was willing to risk his honors on betting that every man on this ship had the same angry thought racing circles around their skulls.

I should be there. I should be on the ground, protecting my home.

That was something the Jedi misunderstood. Kamino-the planet, the cloning facility-wasn't what they called home. It wasn't the place that rallied them to draw up their arms in defense and fight until their hearts burst. It was the brothers still walking those jaded halls that they rose up for. They were their home. Ledger remembered all too clearly being in their shoes, wearing those faux woolen uniforms, crumbling under the pressure of a Kaminoan's stares. Fearing he'd fall just short of the impossible standards set for him before he could prove himself in battle.

It took a willpower forged in beskar not to race straight to the cloning facility itself and ensure not a single cadet fell before his time. Thankfully, it was a willpower Ledger possessed. One he earned.

After an eternity left to the dazzling hyperspace performance, Guess feigned a cough and offered Ledger the tiniest of smirks. Ledger returned a blank look, confused until he followed Guess' gaze down to a scrawny, pastel figure that had silently materialized on his right.