[Republic Commando] - 02(12)
“Captain, it’s not customary to interrupt emergency meetings,” Zey said carefully. “General Jusik is our ordnance specialist and-“
“That’s why I need him now, sir. Sergeant Skirata sends his compliments, but he would like the general to join him at the incident scene, seeing as he’s the explosives expert and his skills would be best spent on practical matters rather than discussion.”
“I think your sergeant should be leaving all that to Coruscant Security,” said Captain Maze, who clearly didn’t understand the situation well enough.
Typical ordinary ARC. Typical stubborn ARC.
“No,” Ordo said. “Not possible. If I could hurry you a little, General Jusik, I have a speeder right outside. And please remember to leave your comlink active in the future. You must be contactable at all times.”
Maze looked at Zey, and Zey shook his head discreetly. Ordo caught Jusik by his elbow and hurried him down the passage.
“Sorry about reprimanding you in front of Zey, sir,” Ordo said, scattering droids and the occasional clone trooper as they hurried back up the passageway. “But Sergeant Skirata is livid.”
“I know, I should have left it on-“
“Like to pilot, sir? I know you enjoy it.”
“Yes please-“
It was the rapid thud of boots behind him that made Ordo stop and turn just as Captain Maze put his hand out to tap him on the shoulder. He deflected the ARC’S arm and brushed it aside.
Maze squared up. “Look, Null, I don’t know who your sergeant thinks he is, but you obey a general when he-“
“I don’t have time for this.” Ordo brought his fist up hard and without warning right under Maze’s chin, knocking him against the wall. The man swore and didn’t go down, so Ordo hit him again, this time in the nose-always demoralizing enough to stop someone dead, but nothing seriously damaging, nothing to cause lasting pain. He would never harm a brother if he could help it. “And I only take orders from Kal Skirata.”
Jusik and Ordo sprinted the rest of the way to the speeder to make up lost time.
“Ordo .”
“Yes?”
“Ordo, you just flattened an ARC trooper.”
“He was delaying us.”
“But you hit him. Twice.”
“No permanent harm done,” Ordo said, lifting his kama to slide over the pillion seat behind Jusik. He sealed his helmet. “You can’t convince Alpha ARCs of anything by rational argument. They’re every bit as obtuse and impulsive as Fett, believe me.”
Jusik looked perplexed as he started up the drive. He took the speeder bike into a straight vertical lift and spun it around at the top of the climb. His hair, tied back in a bunch, whipped across Ordo’s visor on the slipstream, and the ARC brushed it aside in irritated silence. It was high time the boy braided it or got it cut short.
“Where to, Ordo?”
“Manarai.”
“Brief me,” Jusik said.
“CSF is struggling with this. If you get in right now and use the Force while the incident scene is fresh, we might get a break.”
Jusik banked right to avoid a slim spire and chewed his lower lip. He seemed to be able to fly without thinking. “I’ve been over the data six or seven times and I can’t see any consistent pattern in any of the devices. Not the materials, not the method of construction, nothing. Just that they’re all very complex devices, and hard to set.”
Ordo blinked to switch his helmet audio to filter out the wind noise. Next time, he’d commandeer an airspeeder with a canopy. “Always explosives.”
“Say again?”
Ordo adjusted his volume. “I said always explosives.”
“Chemical and biological ordnance has limited use on a planet with more than a thousand different species. Things that go bang, though, are guaranteed to hurt every race.”
“I’d buy that if these devices were being used randomly. They’re not. It’s all Grand Army targets. Humans.”
“Are you sure it’s me you need for this?” Jusik asked. “I’m not as adept with the living Force as others.”
“You want to go back and have a nice meeting?”
“No.” Jusik looked back over his shoulder with a big grin. Ordo had learned not to tell him to keep his eyes straight ahead, but it was still unnerving to watch a Jedi navigate a craft by his Force-senses alone. “I’ve never seen anyone walk over Zey like that.”
“I simply had to get the job done, sir. No offense.”
“Do you mind my asking you something, Ordo?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why do you tolerate me? You don’t take the slightest notice of Zey. Or Camas. Or anyone else, for that matter.”