Zaiya stormed through the facility to the inpatient ward. She'd arrived on the station shortly after Rex had relayed to her what had happened.
Ventress. Again.
The battle of Khorm had many casualties and from what she'd been able to read on the way over, Wolffe had performed admirably. Acting as though he was no longer missing part of his face. It was after the battle that he was sent to the Kaliida Shoals Medical Centre, the very one he'd been sent to after the Malevolence incident. And also the same one the Malevolence had once targeted earlier in the war.
Immediately she was on edge, she hated medical facilities at the best of times. It was all white and pristine, just like Kamino and the whole place had shivers running up her spine. It didn't matter though, she had more important things to do.
"Lieutenant-General Siren, what a surprise," the willowy frame and almost sing-song voice of Nala Se broke her from her rumination and stopped her in her current path. Zaiya looked up at the Kaminoan's unblinkingly wide and dark eyes and frowned.
"Where is Commander Wolffe of the 104th Battalion?" she asked briskly. Nala Se paused.
"He has come in for scans, we are determining if he is fit for prosthesis or decommission," she said far too calmly for the Nightsister's liking.
"Decommission?!" she snarled, "after his stellar record? Because he was injured?!" She was ready to grab Nala Se by her scrawny neck for that.
"The clone has had significant damage, the cost alone--"
"Is worth it, I trained that man and he is one of the greatest soldiers I have met. What is the prosthesis?"
"An eye. The debate on efficiency in battle is currently being discussed," the scientist continued.
"So long as it is a quality piece, he will still be able to fight and it will not hinder his performance," Zaiya said with confidence.
"How can you be certain?" Nala Se asked. Zaiya's own mismatched eyes narrowed.
"Look me in the eye and ask that again," she drawled in response.
"How can you be so sure of this clone?" Nala Se clarified.
"I already told you, I trained him," she repeated, "I can vouch for him, Captain Alpha-17 can vouch for him, I am sure any of his men or even his General will say the same, now where is he?" These damn Kaminoans were always so aggravating, were it not for the agreement, she would have far harsher words to say to this one. However Nala Se didn't seem to care and just stared at her, a tiny flicker of annoyance was all Zaiya could sense in the female.
"The Jedi General of this clone seems equally adamant to ensure his rehabilitation. As it happens, your signature is helpful for the paperwork to approve the procedure, please, come this way." Nala Se gestured in front of her and turned to lead the Nightsister down the corridor, however their path was blocked by a Kel Dor in a Jedi robe.
"Koh-to-yah, Nala Se," the Jedi greeted. "And this must be Lieutenant-General Siren," he looked to Zaiya, at least, she thought he did, it was difficult to tell with the mask he wore.
"Ya a teh," Zaiya replied warily. A greeting in her own tongue to mirror his. "And you are?" She could fathom a guess.
"I am Jedi Master Plo Koon, and Wolffe is my Commander," he explained.
"Ah. I see, then you are also here for him."
"Yes, I believe there was some debate?"
"It seems the argument for the procedure has a strong backing," Nala Se interrupted, "we can proceed, provided we have the proper paperwork in order."
"Then you had best make it quick," Zaiya replied impatiently.
-)O(-
The Jedi Plo Koon seemed to have much to say as they waited for the surgery to be finalised, he told her of the bravery of the clones under his command and the tenacity shown by Wolffe and his brothers after the massacre of Abregado. He also mentioned the stories that Wolffe had told him of her, and his time on Kamino.
Zaiya listened, at first to humour the Jedi and allow herself to not think about how the surgery was going. Then she felt the calm stemming from the Jedi, and fell into an easy conversation with him that put her a little more at ease. She learned more about the clones and what they were like in the field, which of course would help the training going forward.
She was struck by the strange sensation that this Jedi... was not so bad. Her impression of the Jedi was hypocritical and self-righteous, that they wanted power and had no emotions, pushing them down. Shaak Ti had an element of it and Kenobi didn't count. Skywalker she had not yet figured out but... but this Master Plo Koon seemed to genuinely care about the men under his command, treating them like people. It was rather refreshing to witness.
After some time, Wolffe was eventually returned to the recovery ward. He was bandaged and unconscious, though the droid that escorted him indicated he would wake soon. The Jedi suggested for Zaiya to get something to eat or have a break but she was adamant. Her guilt ate away at her too strongly for her to be able to ignore.
"There are times when you must let go of the things that weigh you down, Lieutenant Siren," the Jedi said pointedly. Zaiya masked herself a little better, she'd let some of her true feelings slip. It seemed Master Plo Koon realised his mistake as he stood, almost as though he watched her guard rise, after a long pause he just nodded and left her for a short while.
The Nightsister was silent and still. She sat by Wolffe's bedside as she waited for him to wake. The sooner she could confirm he was alright, the sooner she could assuage that burning pit in her gut and the sooner she could return to Kamino. She needn't linger. Not really. She told herself she wasn't going to be ridiculous about it, even as she dimmed the light in the room to ease the pain on his eyes when he woke.
Definitely not.
-)O(-
His head was throbbing and he felt groggy. The after effects of a drug-induced sleep was not something Wolffe would ever get used to. This time there was no blinding light above him, thankfully, and he became aware of a presence beside him, near his forearm.
With great effort the Commander cracked his remaining good eye open and looked around. Most medical centre rooms looked the same, he had expected that. What he had not expected was to see Lieutenant-General Siren sitting there, arms folded on his bedside, her head resting on her forearms. She looked to be asleep.
He realised he'd never seen her like this before. So peaceful and not barking orders at him or pissing him off. Wolffe had to admit, he hadn't liked her all that much initially. She was some stranger, bossy and cryptic and putting him and his brothers in danger. Then came the day he'd dared to speak against her-- and she'd thanked him for it!
Eventually though, he'd come to realise her true intentions. As far as he could tell at least. Then was that night drinking and hearing her sing... it had been a little hard to continue hating her after that.
So he'd decided tolerating her would be alright. She had actually worked to improve on her techniques, she'd listened more, relaxed a little, talked with the men. He'd seen glimpses of the way she treated the clones compared to the other trainers or Kaminoans. Of course there was the invasion; he'd heard all about that from Rex and Cody.
Maybe he could let himself like her a little bit.
Without thinking, his hand shifted to reach out and rest on her head. Then he froze. Why did he do that? Her hair was really soft. He hadn't expected that. She was asleep right? It would be alright to just touch it for a little, wouldn't it? The gruff Commander even had to admit, this was nice, it felt strangely comforting though he didn't know why.
Rex must have told her; the Captain had frequent comm calls with the Lieutenant-General, Wolffe had learned. On hearing about it... she'd come here immediately? He hadn't thought she'd cared that much about him specifically. He realised he'd been running his hand over her hair for a good minute now and guilt overcame him, this wasn't okay as he hadn't gotten her permission.
He felt a little dirty for his actions and moved his hand, despite how nice it was. As if on cue one of her braids slumped onto the bed and he noted there were more trinkets woven in than before. The memory strand had grown and he was reminded of his own token. He'd not given one to her before now, he'd wanted to find something important.
It had been the General that had given him the advice, and Wolffe had carved a crude symbol similar to that on his pauldron onto a piece of relatively soft stone. He'd finished it not long before this mission as it happened. He only had to hope General Plo had kept it safe for him.
Wolffe was one of her trainees, he deserved to be a part of the strand as well. It wasn't anything too special. It wasn't because he liked her, he just wanted to stand out on the braid. That was all.
He'd not seen her so vulnerable before, and Wolffe had to admit, she was rather... pretty like this. Even with the scar. A smirk crossed his lips, they matched almost. Though hers was horizontal rather than vertical. A bit of a burned texture to it, puckering on the edges... had she been burned by a lightsaber too? She'd never talked about her past much, especially her scar. He wondered if a Jedi had given it to her... or maybe someone like Ventress? Would his scar look that prominent? That red even after months of healing? Or maybe she hadn't had a bacta patch on her wound as immediately as he'd had.
It was all speculative however, and he had no way to know. After a moment, she stirred and made a small humming sound and he froze, carefully ensuring he wasn't touching her. Her head rose as she took a deep breath and she blinked a few times.
Wolffe sucked his teeth so as not to laugh --kriff she looked adorable barely awake like that.
"How's your head?" she asked. If she was embarrassed by being caught sleeping, she didn't show it.
"Well it's not great," Wolffe replied bluntly. Siren nodded in acknowledgement.
"They told me it was Ventress," she said quietly and he hummed. "Please tell me it wasn't for nothing."
"I pissed her off something fierce," he replied and a grin crossed her face.
"Good." There was a pause before she stood, "I'll uhm, get you something to drink, they didn't supply you any extra water." She said it off handedly but her movements were a little stiff as she stood and left the room. Wolffe was given barely a moment to think about it before General Plo arrived.
"General...!" Wolffe greeted in surprise and moved to salute but Plo waved a hand.
"Rest, Commander, you need to regain your strength." He took a seat on the opposite side Siren had been on, "you are in good hands here." There seemed to be more to that comment and Wolffe frowned -- or he started to before the pain forced him to return to a neutral mask.
"Is that right?"
"The Lieutenant-General has been most interested in your recovery... she made quite the fuss when she arrived." Wolffe knew his General well enough to know he was amused. Though Wolffe himself didn't know how to feel. Plo continued, "I do not imagine the Chief Scientist was particularly impressed by her demands." Another pause. "She cares for you. And very much. She must be an excellent trainer."
Wolffe's eyes lingered on the doorway.
"Yeah. She taught us well," he admitted.
After a little more discussion, Wolffe remembered what he wished to ask his General.
"Do you, ah, have that token, General Plo?" he asked a little nervously. Plo Koon turned his head and looked at Wolffe for a few moments, assessing him and the Commander felt a bit vulnerable under the Jedi's watchful gaze.
"Of course, Commander." The General reached into his robe and pulled out a small cloth-wrapped item. Wolffe could tell what it was from the moment he felt it, he recognised the shape he had carved.
It wasn't too soft, was it? Just a memorable token for his Ver'alor. Had General Plo worn a similar braid, he would make one for him too.
She returned a few minutes later, the stiffness in her posture had eased and she nodded smoothly to Plo as she returned to the seat she had been in before. A droid followed, supplying them with a jug of water and cups. Since when had she fussed so much?
"The General was telling me about some of the things happening while I was under--"
"Lies and slander," Ver'alor Siren interjected swiftly, though it was a neutral expression on her face and she didn't seem angry. It was a familiar banter. It made him feel more at ease.
"Sure..." he chuckled, "either way, thank you."
"It is not something you ever need to thank me for Wolffe." Did she even understand the reason for his gratitude? They looked at each other for a while and after a moment he just shook his head -- then immediately regretted it because it only caused pain. It seemed the pain blockers were wearing off.
"I have something for you." He held out the little token to her and her pale brows quirked slightly. She took it in her gloved hand and pulled the cloth away. Her eyes widened on seeing the little carved wolf-head. It was crude but the paint and carved shapes looked remarkably similar to the symbol on his armour.
"You wanted a token for the ah-- memory strand thing... I thought this was more fitting," he explained.
Siren didn't speak. She stared at it for a long while with a stunned expression. Wolffe looked to General Plo, the Kel Dor nodded at him and Wolffe could only assume it was a good thing.
He looked back to Siren and her head raised. He'd never seen her expression so soft before. Though perhaps he imagined it because she cracked her usual smirk a moment later.
"And here I thought you didn't like me...!" she teased. Wolffe struggled not to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah," he replied.
"Copying my style and everything, tsk tsk." She clicked her tongue at him and he frowned, then winced slightly. She gestured to her eye.
"I'll take that back if you keep it up," he huffed, and Siren let out a laugh.
"Oh no, it's too late for that, Wolffe --we cyclopses need to stick together after all...!" she grinned and tucked the token into her jacket. Though he grunted in annoyance, this seemed to be far more comfortable for the both of them.
After a short moment she stood and began to make her excuses to go.
"General Plo Koon, it has been an interesting time speaking with you... and if I may, I find that you are not what I expected of a Jedi, but rather, you seem to be what a Jedi is supposed to be, from what I can tell." She looked at the Jedi for a long moment before seemingly finding her words adequate enough and letting out a small hum.
"From what I understand, that is a great compliment coming from you, Lady Siren," Plo replied in his usual calm and measured fashion. Though Wolffe detected a hint of softness in those words.
"Hm, yes well I know you won't get a big head over it," she retorted without missing a beat and Wolffe stifled a laugh. She flashed him a half smile and turned to him. "Wolffe, I am glad to see you are still intact and I am satisfied you are well looked after." She tilted her head toward the General. Wolffe nodded in affirmation. "If you need further training and getting used to a different mode of vision... you know where I am. I have set up a program, it's your choice if you wish to utilise it."
Once again Wolffe nodded. He wasn't sure what the Kaminoans and scientists had done, how the ocular implant would input the images into his brain-- actually he didn't want to think about it. But if anyone could help him get used to a whole new vision, well he was looking at her.
Suddenly Siren stepped closer and somehow he knew what she was requesting. Without hesitation, he leaned forward, and she very gently pressed her forehead to his.
"Re'turcye mhi ner vod," she murmured, her hand clasping his.
"Re'turcye mhi Ver'alor," Wolffe replied.
-)O(-
It seemed that it was a trend for gifts lately. When she returned to Kamino, she was met with Havoc and Colt who had both returned in order to assist her in the training of more Troopers. Both seemed happy to see her.
It was good to see them too.
Havoc made a good trainer, he was more patient than Alpha or herself but she did notice several things in his training style that were a little similar to her own. It was rather fun to watch, seeing the two of them banter back and forth over the training of the Commando Class Troopers.
She had been dragged into an informal meeting between the trainers, most of them were now ARC troopers as opposed to bounty hunters, much to Zaiya's relief. After so long as the Commanding Officer to the rest of the instructors, she had learned to run the meetings, manage intel and personnel rather effectively. Over time she had become less brittle and more flexible with her leadership style, and there was a general harmony amongst the instructors lately --though again, she presumed it to be because the ARC Troopers banded together far more easily than anything she had done.
After this particularly dull meeting, she noticed Havoc had lingered after most of the others had been dismissed, and she and Alpha were finishing the reports they had to file. The man hovered enough for it to be obvious out of the corner of her eye and she was reminded of the first time he had spoken to her alone... he'd done the same thing.
"Ver'alor," he began.
"I was wondering if you were going to say anything," she replied, not looking up. He shifted his weight and she sensed a strong embarrassment from him for a moment.
"Yes... well... Do you remember, before we were deployed, with the Havoc Juice we were drinking...?" Her lips pursed and she wrinkled her nose as her head rose.
"Please tell me that's not what you called it," she said, referring to the weird alcohol he'd somehow made. She still didn't know how. She was sure she still didn't want to know.
"I didn't... it--" he shook his head, he seemed flustered but she couldn't figure out why. "Anyway...! You brought out those beads and things, right?"
"Right," she affirmed, turning to face him curiously. She felt Alpha turn as well.
"I wasn't sure what would be alright, and it took a while to find the right colour." He reached in under his chestplate where he had something tucked away, and pulled out a thin blue ribbon. It was a deep blue that seemed to have a bit of a gradient to a lighter shade at one end and the sight of it reminded her of the ribbon she'd tied to the rancor so many years ago.
"...colour...?" she asked curiously as he took a step closer to lay it in her open hand.
"Y'know... the colour of your eye," he gestured to her 'good' side and she was struck with surprise, and a warmth spreading in her chest.
"That reminds me." Alpha spoke up on the other side and he laid something on the desk beside her other hand. She looked at the little slug that sat there.
"Ammunition?" she asked curiously. Alpha shrugged.
"It's practical, and a last line of defence," he replied simply. It was so like him, unsentimental and yet very thoughtful. She trained them to stay alive, now here he was offering what he could to give her the same.
And Havoc... the ribbon for her more "human" side. She was touched. Though she of course did what came naturally.
"Oh look at you boys, better be careful, anyone might think I'm not so scary if they know you have given me presents!" she teased with a chuckle. Havoc laughed softly.
"I hope it's enough," he said quietly.
"More than enough, it's perfect," she grinned, and tucked both items away. "I will rebraid it this evening."
With that, Havoc smiled bashfully and excused himself. Zaiya knew Maul had said to distance herself from the clones... but how could she? They were a part of her now, and there would be no amount of ignoring or disconnect that would be able to break that bond.
At least, she hoped so.
-)O(-
Notes:
Hello my lovely readers!
I hope you are all well and doing alright. I have been a little rough recently and writing has been hard. I have had a hard time keeping abreast of my schedule and while I try to get as much done as I can... it's hard. I have a lot of things going on IRL so I am not as ahead as I want to be. I have been writing this for over a year and I have been posting almost every week for that whole time, and it's become a bit difficult with a few of the current things going on for me in my life at the moment.
That being said, because of it, I MAY have to do something I don't want to do, and that is take a short break. I will try to push forward so that I do not have to, but it may come to that. I want to be well-ahead of my posting schedule to alleviate stress and currently that's not happening. If I do have to take a short hiatus I will let you know, and I will post an update, but this is a brief warning to let you know what's going on. At the very least I may have to start posting fortnightly instead of weekly, but either way I will keep you informed.
I do still plan to post next week, and the chapter Invasion Part 1 a year is up and Maul and Zaiya can finally talk about the next steps!
As always comments and feedback are my lifeblood! I love them and I love you guys for all your wonderful words. It really really helps! I love seeing them and it makes me so so happy that you enjoy it.
That being said, this is where I leave you for now, and I hope to see you next time!