Star Wars Republic Commando: Knight of Honor ✓

Chapter 2

Author's Note: If you have any writing tips, please feel free to comment.  

As always, I continue to hope that I am doing justice to the spirit of Star Wars as well the respective authors and characters from which I borrow. Again, I gratefully accept constructive criticism as a means to help me develop my skills further as a writer.

Mandalorian (Mando'a) words

Beskar'gam (BES-kar-GAM): armor

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

Buy'cese: helmet on

Osik (OH-sik): dung (impolite)

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

Ba'vodu Gan: Uncle Gan

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Chapter 2

Our clone soldiers are humans with the same basic needs and wants as any of us. Just because they live out of an armored shell, it doesn't diminish the character of the man beneath. Just as many of us are humans beneath our beskar'gam, they are the same. The Kaminoans had discovered, much to their disappointment, that they just couldn't remove the humanity from a human being, no matter how bio-genetically engineered that human is. 

Rav Brahlor, clone training sergeant, overheard with the other training sergeants, in discussions regarding her squad

Entering drop zone of Separatist base, Located on Tochin Moon II, 783 Days ABG

Jas checked his straps for the third time, confirming his DC-17 blaster and all of its attachments were secure. Then, he checked again the armor, making sure nothing was loose and the pieces were snuggly conformed to his body. Last, he pulled on the straps that attached his kit to his back. He had to be confident that nothing would shift during the descent and he would land safely with all of his gear intact.

"Ner vod, you're more tied down than a Republic cruiser during a lockdown drill," Dusty sighed. "Trust me. You're not going to lose anything."

Mouse slipped the spare wire and the datapad he was refurbishing into a hard case attached to his kit. "He's smart, he's prepared, and he's making sure he's prepared."

"Ah, the quiet one does have a voice," Dusty teased.

"You chatter when you're nervous," Mouse shot back. "Silence gives nothing away."

"And, I thought you didn't like us."

"Leave our sniper alone," Gath finally cut in, putting a calming stop to the teasing before it got too far. "Mouse is the best at what he does, and if he likes his quiet, then let him have it."

"You always have to protect him," Dusty said with a dramatic sigh.

Jas laughed softly at his brothers. They had a knack for breaking the tension when he least expected it. For as much as Dusty and Mouse feigned hatred toward each other, they also had an understanding and a true bond that was as strong as the relationship most twins shared.

How Gath managed his sanity with all of them at times, Jas would have never understand. The brother who fell into the role of their leader seemed to have some overabundance of patience. 

He was protective of them like an older brother should be, despite the fact that they were all the same age and from the same batch of clones. There was just some kind of difference between Gath and the other three that allowed him the ability to exude more tolerance than some of the Jedi.