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NEXT:

Previous: Tender Wounds (Ch 3)

First: Arrival (Ch 1)

***As always, thank you to my sister who edited this!!!!**

---------------------------
Captain Galle’s Force presence flickered into the edge of Aayla’s awareness – a sun-bright glow near the lifts, moving down the hall toward her quarters.

The sooner she could address this the better.

Knock knock.

“Come in, Captain.” The twi’lek listened as the doors kssshed open and admitted her visitor.

“General Secura.” Galle threw a friendly salute, his mind leaping into a whirlwind of curiosity. “Did your Jedi magic tricks tell you it was me out there?” He grinned, but Aayla could feel the ARC-trained eyes bore into her as they gauged her response.

Seeing-of-approach? Suspicion, intrigue, future-use possibility? Width and breadth of capability—?

Aayla barely managed to suppress a smile at the flood of unspoken questions that were barely held at bay, simmering in an unseen heat wave around the clone. “Well, I don’t know about magic tricks, but I did sense you when you stepped off the lift.” She shrugged a little. “Although I must admit, it helps that I was expecting your arrival. Puts my senses on the alert.”

Galle nodded politely, eyes still sharp with curiosity and analyses. “Ah.” The whirling storm of thoughts and hypotheses and potential ideas raged on in silence.

His ARC trainers would be so proud. The twi’lek finally allowed the corners of her mouth to curl upwards. “If you’d like, Captain, I’d be more than happy to discuss the various Jedi abilities with you once the Victorious has departed.”

The buzzing curiosity eased, giving way to satisfied anticipation, and Galle rocked back on his heels. “That would… Thank you, general. I would appreciate that.” A brief silence, then he straightened. “I have the reports you requested.”

“Ah, yes.” Aayla took the offered datapad with a nod. “Thank you, Captain.”

“Just Galle, sir.” The captain grinned across at her. “That’s what Commander Bly calls me. And all the brothers, really.” He shrugged, but the Jedi felt the importance-of-request hang heavy in the Force. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t.”

“I’d be honored, Galle.” Aayla smiled. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to call me Aayla?”

He beamed across the table at her. “Not a chance, miss General sir.” He saluted again. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir? I presume that’s why you had me bring that datapad up here instead of one of the troopers.”

Ah, blunt as ever I see. “Hm. And here I thought I was being clever.” She placed the datapad to the side, pushing aside her other work to join it as she made room for her arms on the table. She gestured to one of the chairs across from her. “Would you mind sitting down, Capt– er, Galle? I… I want to ask you something.”

The faint strain of caution tightened in the Force; Galle sat. “… Is something wrong, sir?”

“Yes.” Aayla steepled her fingers. “I will be frank: I’m afraid that I’ve offended Commander Bly.”

Understanding. Wariness. Vigilance-in-words…

Aayla focused in on the thin stream of thought. Aha. “And I think that you are aware of this situation.”

Alertness flickered sharply around Galle’s mind. Thought-seeing? Defense—

“It doesn’t take a Force sensitive to see it.” Aayla paused; sighed, frustration draining from her posture. “I apologize. I… It isn’t…” Stars, how do I explain this? “I’m new to this general thing, Captain. I need all the trust and support from my men as I can. I have to be able to rely on their training and expertise as we enter this war. Especially from the ranking officers. You, Captain Hal, the medic leaders… All of you.”

Galle shifted in his seat. “We’ve got your back, general. You don’t need to worry about—”

“I am one week into leading this legion and I’ve already estranged my most senior commanding officer.” Hazel eyes met brown. “I am worried, Galle. Commander Bly is well-respected by his men; they’re quite likely to second-guess their trust in me if he does.”

A pause. Calculation. Prudence-in-approach… “May I ask why you think you’ve offended the commander, sir? I don’t think…” Brown eyes widened. “He hasn’t said anything to you, has he?”

“He didn’t have to.” Aayla sighed; gingerly withdrew the memory. “The last night on Darderis. I asked you about how clones name themselves, remember?”

The captain nodded slowly. “It was me, Atwell, and the commander.”

“Yes.” Stars, it’s time to get this out of the way. “I asked Commander Bly about his tattoos.”

Knowledge-of-cause. Wary of outsider…

“I’m just trying to understand what I did wrong.” Aayla spread her hands, pleading to the hesitant tremor in the Force around Galle. “I thought names would hold more meaning than tattoos, but evidently I was mistaken. I’ve stumbled somehow, but if no one is willing to tell me how to fix it, I’ll be tiptoeing around the commander for the remainder of this war. And I don’t think that’s an appropriate way for a general to act.” She allowed a pause for her request to sink in. “I need your help on this, Galle.”

A heavy silence thickened the air. Galle’s eye flickered down to his hands for a moment, then back up to her searching gaze. “Well, you already seem to know it was about his tattoos. Clones aren’t always private about their tattoos, but it’s kind of a hit or miss topic.” He leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know how much I can help you there, though. I mean, I’ve known the commander for a while now but I have no clue the meaning he has behind those tattoos. I never asked and he never brought it up.”

“I’m just afraid of worsening the situation if I bring this up with him.” Aayla rubbed a tired hand across her brow.

Galle waved a dismissive hand. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. The problem comes from asking him to actually divulge that information.” He straightened. “I think you should just be blunt. He’s not a beat-around-the-bush kind of brother. Tell him you didn’t know his tattoos were special. Tell him you didn’t mean to offend him, but honestly he’s being dramatic at the worst possible time and needs to get over a simple mistake.”

“I can’t tell him that!” Aayla stared wide-eyed at her captain. “That’s even worse!”

“Well, it’s the truth. And Commander Bly prefers the uncomfortable truth to any sort of polite speeches.” The sharp directness of Galle’s Force presence softened. “You don’t need to make fun of him, but we’re in the middle of a war. He might have a meaningful memory attached to those tats, but that’s no excuse to go stonewalling his general. That isn’t just unprofessional; it’s detrimental to the entire chain of command and could be potentially dangerous in a battle because,” he gestured at her, “as you pointed out already, his men are inclined to take his perspective on things instead of an outsider’s.” A flicker of unease. “No offense. Sir.”

“None taken. I understand.” Aayla rubbed her neck. Less than a week into this blasted job and already tripping on my own feet. “…And he isn’t stonewalling me. Just…”

“Brusque? Tart? ‘Crisp,’ as the textbooks say?”

“Crisp.” The twi’lek chuckled. “I suppose so.” She paused; lifted her head to meet Galle’s eyes. “You know, I think they should skip me and just make you the general. You seem to have a better head on your shoulders than any of us.”

Galle threw his hands wide. “That’s what I keep telling everyone, but no one believes me!”

“Hm. How odd.” Aayla took a sip from her mug. “Maybe it’s the stink bombs you set off during the graduation ceremony.”

“…You know about that?”

The mingled shudder of alarm and embarrassment that wafted over her senses finally drew a full laugh from Aayla. “Well, you were penalized for it; I saw it when I was reviewing your record.”

“Stars, I’d completely forgotten about that. My instructor was livid. Sergeant Buster; was hoarse for three days afterwards. Absolutely ripped me a new—” Galle froze, shooting a guilty look her way. “Er… Sorry, sir.”

“I am familiar with the expression.” Aayla fought down a rather unprofessional snicker. “My master rarely lost his temper, but he could certainly be creative with his language when he did lose it. Our mission to Frysii will go down in local history, that’s for certain.”

“Ha! The more I hear about him, the more I want to meet this former master of yours. Ves – is that his name?”

“Vos. Quinlan Vos.” Aayla stood; smiled at the countless fond memories that surfaced in her mind. “Yes, I think you two would get along quite well.” She offered her hand to the clone. “Thank you for listening to a baffled general’s ramblings, Capt—I mean, Galle.”

Galle beamed, shaking her hand with a finger-crunching grip. “My pleasure, General. Anytime you need some stupid ideas, comm me. I’ve got plenty to spare.”

Aayla laughed again. “Duly noted.” She tilted her head curiously. “Do you by chance see Bugsy around? I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to see him until after the presentation, but I promised him a bag of pods for him and his squad.”

An inquisitive spark. “Pods, general?”

“Hot chocolate pods.” With a flick of the Force, Aayla tugged one of the drawers in the little kitchenette area open and guided a small stream of brown plant pods in a trail behind her. Another reach with the Force and a plastic bag was in her hand, deftly catching the pods as they tumbled from their flight. “Here.” The twi’lek sealed the top of the bag shut and held it out to her captain. “Would you mind delivering these to him? I don’t want to embarrass him in front of the whole legion by handing it to him at the presentation.”

Taking the bag, Galle chuckled, his amused presence glowing with an approving undertone. “Poor shiny would die of pure terror.”

Thank the stars. Giving gifts to her soldiers had been a question of Aayla’s before her arrival, but it seemed this type was a welcome sort of gift. “He’s not afraid of me, just a little shy in front of his superior officers.”

An ARC eyebrow raised. “Jedi senses tell you that?”

“More like the endless stream of stammering and ‘sir, yes sir’s.” Aayla jerked her chin at the bag. “If you’ll give that to him—Oh, wait!” She snatched the bag back with the Force and grabbed a pen from another drawer, leaning over the counter to scribble on the plastic. “I forgot to add directions. Don’t want the poor fellow to just stick the whole thing in his mug without processing it.”

Galle waited patiently as she quickly wrote out instructions on the bag; received it back with a smile and waved it at her. “This’ll make his day, you know.”

Aayla shrugged. “I’m actually going back a bit on my word. Back on that first day, I told him that I’d sit him, you, and Commander Bly all down for a cup of hot chocolate when we left Darderis, but that hasn’t been possible yet. This will have to suffice for now.”

“Well, if you ever get around to having a hot chocolate party, consider my schedule completely open.”

“I certainly shall. And maybe I’ll invite Dep, too. And Atwell—” She shook herself. “I’m rambling. Thank you for giving that to Bugsy.” She held out her hand once more. “And thank you again for your advice. I think I’m ready to talk to the commander.”

The captain accepted the hand, this time shaking it with a more reserved energy. A shimmer of anticipation-of-peace brushed the edges of Aayla’s mind, and the clone stepped back. “Thank you for asking me, General. I’m… I guess none of us are used to a general that actually speaks with the troopers.”

Aayla rolled her eyes. “You all just had a sour first taste of military command. I’m sure this is quite normal in the other legions, too.” A drift of cynicism wafted off the clone, and she ignored it with a determined smile. “I’ll see you at the presentation tomorrow morning?”

“0800. Bright and early.” Galle threw a friendly salute. “I’ll see you then, general.”

-----------------------
NOTES:
YAAAAYYYY!!! Back to Blyla!!! I've missed working on this story!! I've literally been working on this chapter since the start of the semester. Every kriffing time I started writing it it I'd get like 3 pages in and trash the whole thing lkjdsflkjdsf. Started off with Bugsy, Dep, and Galle al in there drinking hot chocolate with her, ended up here. xp. I'm happy with how it turned out though. Fun writing practice.

Also, since the last picture took like 20+ hours and about 23.5 buckets of tears, I decided to go easy on myself and just do a simple illustration. It was super fun!! This isn't the first time I've drawn Galle (I'll post some sketches of him soon that I did a while ago), but first time fully rendering him.

--Also, playing around with Aayla's outfit because I ALWAYS AM. Realizing now that I forgot pouches, but Imma say that they're just detachable from her belt lol. I'm sure you'll see some changes in her outfit again soon, but oh well

DESIGN: I'm trying to combine the Clone Wars clone design with Temuera Morrison (the main actor of the clones). I really like how identafiable the clones are by their design in the show, but I flippin love Tem's face!!! I honestly think that the Clone Wars design managed to incorporate a lot of his features (nose, eye sockets, defined chin, slightly forward mouth, etc), but they narrowed his face and hollowed out his cheeks a bit (which I think they did with pretty much all the live-action-to-cartoon- characters, most notably Padme).

-TL;DR --> Mashing tcw design + Tem Morrison's face and seeing where this gets me.

Also, hot chocolate in the SW universe is different from ours!! Here's the wiki linkstarwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_c…

Description
NEXT:

Previous: Tender Wounds (Ch 3)

First: Arrival (Ch 1)

***As always, thank you to my sister who edited this!!!!**

---------------------------
Captain Galle’s Force presence flickered into the edge of Aayla’s awareness – a sun-bright glow near the lifts, moving down the hall toward her quarters.

The sooner she could address this the better.

Knock knock.

“Come in, Captain.” The twi’lek listened as the doors kssshed open and admitted her visitor.

“General Secura.” Galle threw a friendly salute, his mind leaping into a whirlwind of curiosity. “Did your Jedi magic tricks tell you it was me out there?” He grinned, but Aayla could feel the ARC-trained eyes bore into her as they gauged her response.

Seeing-of-approach? Suspicion, intrigue, future-use possibility? Width and breadth of capability—?

Aayla barely managed to suppress a smile at the flood of unspoken questions that were barely held at bay, simmering in an unseen heat wave around the clone. “Well, I don’t know about magic tricks, but I did sense you when you stepped off the lift.” She shrugged a little. “Although I must admit, it helps that I was expecting your arrival. Puts my senses on the alert.”

Galle nodded politely, eyes still sharp with curiosity and analyses. “Ah.” The whirling storm of thoughts and hypotheses and potential ideas raged on in silence.

His ARC trainers would be so proud. The twi’lek finally allowed the corners of her mouth to curl upwards. “If you’d like, Captain, I’d be more than happy to discuss the various Jedi abilities with you once the Victorious has departed.”

The buzzing curiosity eased, giving way to satisfied anticipation, and Galle rocked back on his heels. “That would… Thank you, general. I would appreciate that.” A brief silence, then he straightened. “I have the reports you requested.”

“Ah, yes.” Aayla took the offered datapad with a nod. “Thank you, Captain.”

“Just Galle, sir.” The captain grinned across at her. “That’s what Commander Bly calls me. And all the brothers, really.” He shrugged, but the Jedi felt the importance-of-request hang heavy in the Force. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t.”

“I’d be honored, Galle.” Aayla smiled. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to call me Aayla?”

He beamed across the table at her. “Not a chance, miss General sir.” He saluted again. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir? I presume that’s why you had me bring that datapad up here instead of one of the troopers.”

Ah, blunt as ever I see. “Hm. And here I thought I was being clever.” She placed the datapad to the side, pushing aside her other work to join it as she made room for her arms on the table. She gestured to one of the chairs across from her. “Would you mind sitting down, Capt– er, Galle? I… I want to ask you something.”

The faint strain of caution tightened in the Force; Galle sat. “… Is something wrong, sir?”

“Yes.” Aayla steepled her fingers. “I will be frank: I’m afraid that I’ve offended Commander Bly.”

Understanding. Wariness. Vigilance-in-words…

Aayla focused in on the thin stream of thought. Aha. “And I think that you are aware of this situation.”

Alertness flickered sharply around Galle’s mind. Thought-seeing? Defense—

“It doesn’t take a Force sensitive to see it.” Aayla paused; sighed, frustration draining from her posture. “I apologize. I… It isn’t…” Stars, how do I explain this? “I’m new to this general thing, Captain. I need all the trust and support from my men as I can. I have to be able to rely on their training and expertise as we enter this war. Especially from the ranking officers. You, Captain Hal, the medic leaders… All of you.”

Galle shifted in his seat. “We’ve got your back, general. You don’t need to worry about—”

“I am one week into leading this legion and I’ve already estranged my most senior commanding officer.” Hazel eyes met brown. “I am worried, Galle. Commander Bly is well-respected by his men; they’re quite likely to second-guess their trust in me if he does.”

A pause. Calculation. Prudence-in-approach… “May I ask why you think you’ve offended the commander, sir? I don’t think…” Brown eyes widened. “He hasn’t said anything to you, has he?”

“He didn’t have to.” Aayla sighed; gingerly withdrew the memory. “The last night on Darderis. I asked you about how clones name themselves, remember?”

The captain nodded slowly. “It was me, Atwell, and the commander.”

“Yes.” Stars, it’s time to get this out of the way. “I asked Commander Bly about his tattoos.”

Knowledge-of-cause. Wary of outsider…

“I’m just trying to understand what I did wrong.” Aayla spread her hands, pleading to the hesitant tremor in the Force around Galle. “I thought names would hold more meaning than tattoos, but evidently I was mistaken. I’ve stumbled somehow, but if no one is willing to tell me how to fix it, I’ll be tiptoeing around the commander for the remainder of this war. And I don’t think that’s an appropriate way for a general to act.” She allowed a pause for her request to sink in. “I need your help on this, Galle.”

A heavy silence thickened the air. Galle’s eye flickered down to his hands for a moment, then back up to her searching gaze. “Well, you already seem to know it was about his tattoos. Clones aren’t always private about their tattoos, but it’s kind of a hit or miss topic.” He leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know how much I can help you there, though. I mean, I’ve known the commander for a while now but I have no clue the meaning he has behind those tattoos. I never asked and he never brought it up.”

“I’m just afraid of worsening the situation if I bring this up with him.” Aayla rubbed a tired hand across her brow.

Galle waved a dismissive hand. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. The problem comes from asking him to actually divulge that information.” He straightened. “I think you should just be blunt. He’s not a beat-around-the-bush kind of brother. Tell him you didn’t know his tattoos were special. Tell him you didn’t mean to offend him, but honestly he’s being dramatic at the worst possible time and needs to get over a simple mistake.”

“I can’t tell him that!” Aayla stared wide-eyed at her captain. “That’s even worse!”

“Well, it’s the truth. And Commander Bly prefers the uncomfortable truth to any sort of polite speeches.” The sharp directness of Galle’s Force presence softened. “You don’t need to make fun of him, but we’re in the middle of a war. He might have a meaningful memory attached to those tats, but that’s no excuse to go stonewalling his general. That isn’t just unprofessional; it’s detrimental to the entire chain of command and could be potentially dangerous in a battle because,” he gestured at her, “as you pointed out already, his men are inclined to take his perspective on things instead of an outsider’s.” A flicker of unease. “No offense. Sir.”

“None taken. I understand.” Aayla rubbed her neck. Less than a week into this blasted job and already tripping on my own feet. “…And he isn’t stonewalling me. Just…”

“Brusque? Tart? ‘Crisp,’ as the textbooks say?”

“Crisp.” The twi’lek chuckled. “I suppose so.” She paused; lifted her head to meet Galle’s eyes. “You know, I think they should skip me and just make you the general. You seem to have a better head on your shoulders than any of us.”

Galle threw his hands wide. “That’s what I keep telling everyone, but no one believes me!”

“Hm. How odd.” Aayla took a sip from her mug. “Maybe it’s the stink bombs you set off during the graduation ceremony.”

“…You know about that?”

The mingled shudder of alarm and embarrassment that wafted over her senses finally drew a full laugh from Aayla. “Well, you were penalized for it; I saw it when I was reviewing your record.”

“Stars, I’d completely forgotten about that. My instructor was livid. Sergeant Buster; was hoarse for three days afterwards. Absolutely ripped me a new—” Galle froze, shooting a guilty look her way. “Er… Sorry, sir.”

“I am familiar with the expression.” Aayla fought down a rather unprofessional snicker. “My master rarely lost his temper, but he could certainly be creative with his language when he did lose it. Our mission to Frysii will go down in local history, that’s for certain.”

“Ha! The more I hear about him, the more I want to meet this former master of yours. Ves – is that his name?”

“Vos. Quinlan Vos.” Aayla stood; smiled at the countless fond memories that surfaced in her mind. “Yes, I think you two would get along quite well.” She offered her hand to the clone. “Thank you for listening to a baffled general’s ramblings, Capt—I mean, Galle.”

Galle beamed, shaking her hand with a finger-crunching grip. “My pleasure, General. Anytime you need some stupid ideas, comm me. I’ve got plenty to spare.”

Aayla laughed again. “Duly noted.” She tilted her head curiously. “Do you by chance see Bugsy around? I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to see him until after the presentation, but I promised him a bag of pods for him and his squad.”

An inquisitive spark. “Pods, general?”

“Hot chocolate pods.” With a flick of the Force, Aayla tugged one of the drawers in the little kitchenette area open and guided a small stream of brown plant pods in a trail behind her. Another reach with the Force and a plastic bag was in her hand, deftly catching the pods as they tumbled from their flight. “Here.” The twi’lek sealed the top of the bag shut and held it out to her captain. “Would you mind delivering these to him? I don’t want to embarrass him in front of the whole legion by handing it to him at the presentation.”

Taking the bag, Galle chuckled, his amused presence glowing with an approving undertone. “Poor shiny would die of pure terror.”

Thank the stars. Giving gifts to her soldiers had been a question of Aayla’s before her arrival, but it seemed this type was a welcome sort of gift. “He’s not afraid of me, just a little shy in front of his superior officers.”

An ARC eyebrow raised. “Jedi senses tell you that?”

“More like the endless stream of stammering and ‘sir, yes sir’s.” Aayla jerked her chin at the bag. “If you’ll give that to him—Oh, wait!” She snatched the bag back with the Force and grabbed a pen from another drawer, leaning over the counter to scribble on the plastic. “I forgot to add directions. Don’t want the poor fellow to just stick the whole thing in his mug without processing it.”

Galle waited patiently as she quickly wrote out instructions on the bag; received it back with a smile and waved it at her. “This’ll make his day, you know.”

Aayla shrugged. “I’m actually going back a bit on my word. Back on that first day, I told him that I’d sit him, you, and Commander Bly all down for a cup of hot chocolate when we left Darderis, but that hasn’t been possible yet. This will have to suffice for now.”

“Well, if you ever get around to having a hot chocolate party, consider my schedule completely open.”

“I certainly shall. And maybe I’ll invite Dep, too. And Atwell—” She shook herself. “I’m rambling. Thank you for giving that to Bugsy.” She held out her hand once more. “And thank you again for your advice. I think I’m ready to talk to the commander.”

The captain accepted the hand, this time shaking it with a more reserved energy. A shimmer of anticipation-of-peace brushed the edges of Aayla’s mind, and the clone stepped back. “Thank you for asking me, General. I’m… I guess none of us are used to a general that actually speaks with the troopers.”

Aayla rolled her eyes. “You all just had a sour first taste of military command. I’m sure this is quite normal in the other legions, too.” A drift of cynicism wafted off the clone, and she ignored it with a determined smile. “I’ll see you at the presentation tomorrow morning?”

“0800. Bright and early.” Galle threw a friendly salute. “I’ll see you then, general.”

-----------------------
NOTES:
YAAAAYYYY!!! Back to Blyla!!! I've missed working on this story!! I've literally been working on this chapter since the start of the semester. Every kriffing time I started writing it it I'd get like 3 pages in and trash the whole thing lkjdsflkjdsf. Started off with Bugsy, Dep, and Galle al in there drinking hot chocolate with her, ended up here. xp. I'm happy with how it turned out though. Fun writing practice.

Also, since the last picture took like 20+ hours and about 23.5 buckets of tears, I decided to go easy on myself and just do a simple illustration. It was super fun!! This isn't the first time I've drawn Galle (I'll post some sketches of him soon that I did a while ago), but first time fully rendering him.

--Also, playing around with Aayla's outfit because I ALWAYS AM. Realizing now that I forgot pouches, but Imma say that they're just detachable from her belt lol. I'm sure you'll see some changes in her outfit again soon, but oh well

DESIGN: I'm trying to combine the Clone Wars clone design with Temuera Morrison (the main actor of the clones). I really like how identafiable the clones are by their design in the show, but I flippin love Tem's face!!! I honestly think that the Clone Wars design managed to incorporate a lot of his features (nose, eye sockets, defined chin, slightly forward mouth, etc), but they narrowed his face and hollowed out his cheeks a bit (which I think they did with pretty much all the live-action-to-cartoon- characters, most notably Padme).

-TL;DR --> Mashing tcw design + Tem Morrison's face and seeing where this gets me.

Also, hot chocolate in the SW universe is different from ours!! Here's the wiki linkstarwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_c…