Chapter 257 - The Way Of A Soldier (1/2)

”We keep going until this war is over. That is how clones do it.”

After Dageer said those two phrases, every trooper within earshot paused for a brief moment, before resuming what they were doing. They all put more effort into their actions, be it firing at the seppies, dealing with data at the command post, or treating wounded. Dageer was right. Waking up every day, ready and willing to fight and die. Every trooper was born to battle, and they were proud of their destiny.

Commander Cody glared at Dageer silently for a few seconds before turning back to the control panel, and ordering the heavy vehicles to concentrate fire on a group of Dwarf-Spider droids.

General Kenobi, on the other hand, was impressed. Two mere sentences, casually uttered by Dageer, had been enough to make the clones double their efforts. It was easy to see why General Di had been so focused on developing Dageer, even though the commander had been bred to be just a simple clone. He was a natural leader, and was respected by the men around him. After over a year of war, the Jedi knew it wasn't easy to earn the respect of the clones. To people who faced death every day of their lives, what normal folk considered as invaluable and absolutely necessary, they deemed as worthless. Perishing in battle, with a blaster in his hands, and his brothers by his side, was all a soldier could ask for.

And General Kenobi also felt something else. The flow of the Force around Dageer was different. It was... Erratic, confused. It wasn't strong enough so Dageer could use it, and he couldn't sense it inside the clone. It was as if the Force surrounded Dageer, not shaping his decisions, but going along with them. The clone would have some role in the course of this war. However, due to the nature of the Force itself, the Jedi couldn't tell which role would this be.

”Dageer... Sometimes, do you have dreams? Not normal dreams, but some sort of vision?”

Dageer shuddered, and lifted his head to look straight into General Kenobi's eyes. His hand unconsciously moved towards his hip, where his blaster pistol was, but he stopped himself, and controlled his facial expression. Gazing at Commander Cody through the corner of his eyes, Dageer prepared his words very carefully. He didn't know why, but he couldn't tell the Jedi about the nightmares.

”Everyone has dreams, General Kenobi. Even clones.”

The Jedi was surprised by the sudden wave of hostility that hit him, and shocked to find that it didn't come just from Dageer, but from all the clones around him, even Commander Cody. He thought it was because he had been rude, although he wasn't sure which score spot he had touched, and quickly explained himself. Luckily for him, he hadn't noticed the hands reaching for the blasters, otherwise things would have escalated quickly. Dageer's mind had blanked, and for a moment, he had seen the Jedi as an enemy rather than as a superior. Just like the nightmares.

”I didn't mean to intrude on your personal thoughts, Dageer.”

”Of course, General Kenobi. It's just that... Clones usually don't have good dreams. Too many brothers have fallen, more than we can remember.”

The Jedi nodded. It made sense. Even before the war, he would have nightmares about how his master died. It was normal that clones also would, considering that thousands upon thousands of them died every day.

”Now, if you would excuse me, General Kenobi, I have to rest while I can. I'm sure the higher-ups will soon send another mission to my squad, so I have to get them in shape for it.”

”Sure thing, commander. I will see you on the battlefield.”

Dageer nodded, and left the command post. He didn't plan on resting, as he was afraid of what he would see when he closed his eyes. Instead, he wanted to help defend against the seppies that were attacking their perimeter, but he realized it wasn't needed. General Skywalker and his padawan had arrived, and with the help of the 501st, the 212th was able to push back the clanckers. General Mundi also arrived not much later, although he was pretty badly wounded. It didn't seem like he would be able to partake in the battle anymore.

Dageer was just about to head to where Hell Squad was when a lieutenant, using the white and yellow armor of the 212th stopped him. It was only after Lieutenant Shield took off his helmet that Dageer recognized him.

”Hello, Commander Dageer. Great job destroying those turrets.”