Star Wars Republic Commando: Knight of Honor ✓

Chapter 21

Arlesse had not taken offense at their complaints, laughing instead at how their reactions mirrored her own on many occasions. She agreed that she had her preferred dishes, and whenever the cook tried to change something or try something new, she was always skeptical. She even admitted that most of the time, she didn't like the changes and the cook grew increasingly frustrated with her. 

So when Dusty had bitten into the fruit and didn't change his opinion about his initial observations, Arlesse was sympathetic. She understood that it was difficult to appreciate that the Plumrinds had a minty taste and required more chewing than was imagined it would need despite all the juice within them. Beneath the minted flavor was a hint of wood, making the taste nothing like the sweet fruit all of them would have preferred.

Arlesse explained to them that Plumrind was usually mashed into a spread and eaten with sweetened bread; however, its nutrients were rich and would give them the minerals and energy they needed to get their day started. She even told them that it was one of the dishes most requested by the members of the Law and Trial Committee whenever they had a big assessment. 

Again, Udi's lessons had educated her because she was able to tell the soldiers that RubyFruit was better suited for a between-meal nutrient and a supplemental substance for later in the day. Plumrinds, on the other hand, would boost their energy quickly to get them initially going and then the nutrients would level off after a couple of hours.

Jas, as usual, had kept to himself and did not offer much to the group. He ate his Plumrind in silence, not even hinting as to whether he liked or disliked its flavor. He maintained his civility, remembering to politely thank the princess for thinking about all of them when she ventured out earlier in the day to get the Plumrinds.

His mind was still elsewhere, though, lost in the conversation he shared with Dusty the night before. Jas couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal whenever he thought about Dusty's confessions. Jas wasn't ready to accept the fact that Dusty had purposefully turned off his communications device during a mission. 

He thought he knew his brother, but it seemed that Dusty had developed a way of holding secrets and going beyond the mere practice of bending rules. He had deliberately put his life in danger, and after really thinking about it, he had put the lives of all his clone brethren in jeopardy. Had something happened to him that night with Cerina and the vital information about Nusset's lair was lost, the entire Clone Army could have ceased to exist.

Jas did what he could to mask his resentment, but he knew he just couldn't hide it entirely. He continued to wrestle over whether he should bring his growing concerns to Gath about Dusty's questionable behaviors, but it would be entirely unfair to make Gath worry about that when he had other priorities right now. Dredging up the past was not going to help protect the princess, and Gath was determined that they didn't breach any more protocols to get her home.

Thinking about Les'ika, Jas was reminded again about the confusion that had started anew last night every time Jas so much as looked at her. His mental box was banging around his head, demanding to be opened, but Jas knew he could not give in to that temptation. He was distracted enough by his own confusion. He would only get himself – or worse yet – one of the others killed if he couldn't keep on the task of protecting the princess appropriately.

Bringing his concentration back to the present and forcing his stray thoughts into a mental box that was shrinking smaller with every moment, Jas realized that he had heard the sound of running water growing stronger in the distance. He knew that their canteens and bottles could use another topping off with the way Les'ika had to hydrate so often, and he expected that Gath would allow them to take another respite as soon as they reached the water.

Breaking through a clearing in the forest, the gentle roar of the water had become significantly louder, and as they pushed through the last of the trees ahead of them, they saw a small waterfall that ran into a decent-sized lake. The perimeter of the lake was approximately fifty yards wide. The waterfall was only about twenty feet high and about four feet wide. The lake poured into a small creek that ran through the woods, and Jas surmised that it was probably the same creek Gath and Dusty had used the other day to supply their water.

Arlesse looked to the clear, blue water and stepped towards the bank. In the lake, she saw schools of small, reflective fish that changed shades of gray to reflect the sky above. Arlesse had expected the fish to mirror a bright blue sky, but when she looked up, she saw that the sunlight above was growing murky. The swirling clouds were growing thicker, and the blue of the sky was receding further into the distance. 

Turning her attention back to the lake, she saw pink flowers blooming in a patch within the water, seeming to float on the azure liquid. Flitting around those pink, goblet-shaped blossoms were numerous flutter-wings. Each one had a wide wingspan the size of Arlesse's open hands and sparkled in all the hues imaginable, and some even glittered in spectrums not discernable to the human eye. The six-legged, winged creatures resembled a moving rainbow of colors as they hovered about aimlessly from one flower to the next.

Shrubs outlined the lake on the right side with colorful blooms emitting fresh, sweet perfume. She recognized some of the flowers, as they were likenesses of the very same roses and daisies that had been planted in her garden. The difference, however, was that these flowers grew wild, in patterns along the ground and over the trees whereas her flowers were restricted to crawling up fences and being pruned to fit in designated spaces.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, glancing now at the multiple tones of green that made up the surrounding trees. "I don't think anyone even knows it's here."

Dusty and Mouse weren't as concerned with the beauty of the landscape but more with their need for water. They knelt on the ground and removed their helmets, leaning into the lake to wash their heads and faces.

Gath took off his helmet and brought his eyes upwards to the sky. He had decided that the distance they covered in the last few hours would be all they would get for the day. "There's a storm building, and we probably have a couple hours before it hits. It would be best to find some shelter."

"I'll look around," Jas offered as he immediately turned from the group and knew he could use the exploration of the land as an excuse to not be crowded around Les'ika or Dusty right now. He still needed some breathing space, especially when his confusion seemed to be ever-present and refused to stay in the back of his mind. 

For a moment, Jas wished he could communicate with Ba'vodu Gan, just for some sense of comfort, if nothing else. Being ordered to run a drill in full gear or perform some feat of physical exertion on an obstacle course might be all he needed to get his thoughts back on the mission. And, hearing Sergeant Gan's voice might be the trigger he would need to resume being simply RC-1147, commando specialist.

    --- --- --- --- ---    

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

Votes and Comments/Feedback most enthusiastically welcome!