[Republic Commando] - 02(13)

“Skirata respects you. I trust his judgment.”

“Oh.” Jusik didn’t seem to be expecting that answer. “I-I have a very great regard for our sergeant, too.”

Ordo noted the word our. And that was what made Jusik different, as far as Kal’buir, Papa Kal, was concerned: he had thrown in his lot with his men. But, as Kal’buir said privately, you could stick a Weequay officer in front of the clone army and they would still fight well. An army of three million men with very few Jedi officers had to be self-directing.

Ordo was well used to directing himself.

Jusik never asked if Ordo thought of him as his commanding officer, though. He probably knew, and didn’t need to be reminded that Ordo answered only to the one man who had stepped physically between him and death once, twice, more times than was decent to count: Kal Skirata. And while Ordo knew intellectually that a detached, unsentimental officer was the kind who won wars and saved the most lives, his heart said that a sergeant who was ready to die to protect his men got the very last drop of sweat and blood from them, and given gladly.

“I think you might really be in trouble with Zey this time, Ordo.”

“And what do you think he’s going to do about it?”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“Not since Kamino.”

If Jusik understood that, it didn’t show. “Is it true that your brother Mereel hijacked a transport to Kamino?”

“It’s known as hardening targets, General. Challenging security to improve it. We do that.”

It was a lie, but not entirely: the Nulls tried not to remove GAR assets from the battlefield unless it was absolutely necessary, but in this case Kal’buir had said it was. The Jedi command turned a blind eye to the irregularities if they detected them because the Null squad produced unparalleled results. No, Zey wouldn’t touch him. If he was foolish enough to try, he would learn a hard lesson.

“General, do you remember being taken from your parents?”

Jusik glanced to his left and a few moments later a CSF patrol appeared on their flank, dipped a wing in acknowledgment, and dropped away below them again.

“They’re just pinging us to be sure we are who they think we are,” the Jedi said, evading the question. “Can’t trust anything to be what it seems these days.”

“Indeed.”

“I hope CSF aren’t offended by our intervention.”

Ordo tightened his grip. “It’s not their fault they can’t handle this.”

“They’re very competent.”

“They’re competent at defense. They’re not used to attacking. We can think like an enemy better than they can.”

“You can. I fear I never will.”

“I was trained to kill and destroy by any means possible. I suspect you were trained to obey some rules.”

“I do actually.”

“What? Obey rules?”

“No, I remember being taken from my family. Just being taken. Not my family, though.”

“And what makes you so attached to us?” Ordo chose his words precisely, knowing what attachment meant to a Jedi. He knew the answer anyway. “And doesn’t that worry you?”

Jusik paused for a moment and then turned with an anxious smile. Jedi weren’t supposed to feel powerful emotions like vengeance or love or hate. Ordo could now see that conflict on the boy’s face daily.

And Jusik was a boy: Ordo was the same physical age as the general-twenty-two-but he felt a generation older, despite being born only eleven years ago. And the Jedi drew strength from the things that tore up his heart, just as Kal Skirata did.

He and Jusik were opposites in so many ways and yet so very similar in others.

“You have such a passionate sense of belonging,” Jusik said at last. “And you never complain about the way you’re used.”

“Save your sympathy for the troopers,” Ordo said. “Nobody uses us. And a clear sense of purpose is a strength.”

The southern side of the logistics depot was a wasteland of shattered metal and rubble. From the air, it looked like an abandoned construction site with a brightly colored perimeter fence. As Jusik dropped lower, the perimeter resolved into crowds held back by a CSF cordon. The GAR supplies base was right on the boundary of a civilian area, separated only by a strip of landing platforms, with levels of warehousing operated by droids below it.

It had obviously been a big device. Had the same bomb exploded in the civilian heart of Coruscant, the casualties would have run to thousands.

“Whatever do they find to look at?” Jusik asked. He had trouble finding a space to set down and had to land outside the security cordon. He was clearly offended by the sightseers and didn’t wait for Ordo to clear a path through the crowd for him. For a quietly spoken man, Jusik could certainly make himself heard. “Citizens, unless you have contributions to make here, can I suggest you clear the area in case there’s a second device still set to detonate?”