In the common quarters of one of the many Venator class republic cruisers currently waiting outside of Coruscant’s atmosphere.

A group of newly trained clones, among many others, were sitting at their table, silently eating their military rations.

This food was much better than usual. The reason for that is that they are in the core worlds where supplies are basically endless.

This particular team of clones counted six soldiers, and they were quite edgy right now. The other clones sitting at different tables were giving them weary looks.

For this interesting phenomenon to happen, there were a few different reasons.

The other shinies were looking at them with evident admiration and respect in their eyes, while the veteran troopers were trying hard to ignore them, failing miserably.

When they also realized this, they instead began to act superior towards them, leading to the current unique situation.

As this particular clone squad continued to sit at their table, they could easily overhear some interesting combinations of derogatory words directed at them.

Like shiny commandos and special rookies, to name a few...

Getting some special attention was a normal thing for them at this point, honestly. Even on Kamino, wherever they have gone to the cantina, especially as a whole squad, they always stood out like a sore thumb.

Therefore, the weary glances or comments directed at them were not the reason for their frustration.

A few days ago, they were told that their new commander had been chosen, and today was the day when they would meet with her.

Yes, her, since she is a woman, but the worst part was that she is not even a proper Jedi, but a mere padawan. What the hell could a thirteen-year-old girl understand of properly leading a commando?

They trained their whole life. They learned to be a team, to excel and made their brothers and the republic proud of them. Is that the thanks for their loyalty? To place their lives and their efforts in the hands of a child?

They heard stories of failed missions because of unreasonable padawan commanders. Even proper Jedi knights used to act too stubbornly as leaders. However, being under the direct command of a nosy child was a clear death sentence.

It’s not like the thought of dying was new to them, but the thought of dying stupidly without achieving anything was an entirely different thing. What was even more strange was that they were asked to report to the commander at one of the training fields, and in full gear.

“Attention, Gamma Squad, time to finish up here. We have a meeting scheduled with the princess commander.” — Stated one of the man standing up from the table.

“Heh, that was a good one, Crusher. Just be careful that she never hears it.” — Added another one while joining his comrade-in-arms.

“Yeah, we didn’t want to make her cry after all.” — Crusher said back with a smirk.

“At least not on the first day!” — Another one joined in the conversation, shoving the two others on the shoulder.

They began to laugh, hearing that. Some of them were still smiling when they reached the training field half an hour later, equipped with their complete gear.

They stood to attention in a proper military line while waiting for their new commander. Even if she was a child, they wouldn’t let their discipline look lackluster. They were professional soldiers, after all.

Suddenly they heard as the air pressure door opened, and a small childlike figure stepped into the large hall. She glanced around, her gaze quickly focusing on them. After a few more seconds of hesitation, she began walking in their direction.

Gamma Two, whose nickname was Brain, suddenly poked Crusher’s side with his left elbow.

Crusher gave him a quick nod to indicate that he was listening.

“Look at that Crusher, that armor. I could swear that it is durasteel and plastoid composite.” — Brain whispered next to Crusher, while still looking straightforward in a proper position.

Gamma Three chose that moment to speak up from the other side of Crusher. He was otherwise known as Handy. — “Yeah, it is, most likely. I always wondered why there were so few Jedi who even considered wearing cheap armor, but durasteel, that stuff is top-notch. I would love to have some for myself.”

Crusher couldn’t help but agree with the others observations. Maybe this commander won’t be that bad after all.

The clones also noted that the girl was a gray twi’lek, and as she walked closer, everyone noticed her most unique feature in the form of a pair of pink eyes. They seemed to be much deeper and calmer than they should be... It was weird. If they saw those eyes on anyone but a young child, it wouldn’t be that out of place. However, it felt quite wrong, even disturbing in this particular situation.

She finally stopped before them, about two meters away.

For a few minutes, she simply stood there and watched them. Then finally, as if she had realized something, she said hastily.

“Ah, rest soldiers.”

They immediately relaxed their position. She then continued.

“Okay, my name is Nizzal Gray. It is nice to meet you all. From now on, I will be your acting commander…" — She hesitated for a few more seconds, clearly struggling with what to tell them. Then, when she made up her mind, she continued with a brief sigh.

“I decided to be forthcoming with you. I think you deserve that. Therefore, I will say this once: I am not here because I want to be here, so don’t try to make my life into a living hell. Since I cannot leave even if I wanted to. Aside from that, I promise that I will take my position seriously and try to make our lives longer, easier, while being reasonably productive at the same time.”

She smiled at them weakly. Was that supposed to be a joke or what?

One of the soldiers decided to ask a question after seeing her disarming smile and strangely reasonable behavior. For a Jedi that is.

“May I have a word, commander?”

“Yes, what is your name, soldier?” — She asked, curiously.

“Gamma Five, commander.” — The soldier answered. For some reason, her expression seemed to contort unnaturally upon hearing that name.

“...Is that a joke?” — She asked, clearly unable to accept the answer.

“What do you mean, commander?” — Gamma Five asked, similarly confused.

“Your name is Gamma Five?” — The girl asked with a deadpan expression. — “Are you serious? Is it some sort of inside joke?”

There were a few seconds of awkward silence following that question.

“Commander, as clone troopers, we don’t have real names, only these numbers.” — Came the solemn answer, eventually.

The girl’s joviality seemed to disappear as if she was splashed with a bucket of cold water.

“... Okay... this is… kind of awkward... do you have some nicknames at least? Mine is Nizzy. You may call me that in unofficial meetings and circumstances.”

That was a surprise for the clones.

“We understand commander!“ — They said in unison.

Then Gamma Five continued his question.

“Commander, you are right. Most of the clones used to have nicknames. We also have our own. My moniker is Ice.”

“Thank you! So, what is your question, Ice?”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what did you mean by that, that you don’t want to be here?”

“Ah, a good question. Sadly, the Jedi council classified it as a secret. So it should be enough that I did something bad in their eyes. And they were kind enough to offer me two choices of punishment. Well, if you look at it from that angle, it turns out that I actually want to be here. Ironic really.”

That explanation only created more questions in the minds of the clones.

“Ah, if you have other questions, ask away freely, and please, don’t repeat commander all the time. My title is not something I would forget so easily... Oh, and tell your names when you ask something, otherwise I will never learn them.”

There were a few loud smirks to that.

“Gamma One, nickname Crusher. I was wondering what kind of sin could a thirteen-year-old commit to be forcefully sent to war as a punishment?”

Nizzal chuckled at that.

“I may or may not have partially cooked one of their knights sent to watch over me, but you shouldn’t know about this. It’s classified, after all, and he is a complete jerk anyway,” — Said the girl with a straight face.

The atmosphere in the room after hearing that answer turned somewhat strange. Most of the clones didn’t take the answer seriously, only smirking half-heartedly at the poor joke.

Crusher, Stinger and Brain were different in that matter. They sensed that the answer was faster and much more natural to be a joke or something made up on the run.

That could only mean that she told them the truth, and that was definitely not a good thing to hear.

Also, what the actual hell? She just gave away classified information like it was nothing.

Nizzal naturally noticed the weary expression Crusher, and some others were currently making, and decided to say, hastily.

“Don’t look at me like that. The guy tried to kill me first, so that’s the story.”

The clones looked at each other, confused. Some of them only began to realize that the previous answer wasn’t actually a joke.

“Lets continue. Who else has questions?” — One of the soldiers raised his hand. — “What is your name, soldier?”

“Gamma Two, my moniker is Brain. Why did a Jedi Knight try to kill you, one of their own? I am not sure I believe that to be true.”

There were a few seconds of silence following that question.

Crusher gave a warning glance to Brain. — ‘Even if she is a child, you shouldn’t directly question her like that. She is still our commander, like it or not.’ — Crusher tried to remind Brain of that fact.

“... Now I see where the misunderstanding is. Look, I am not really a Jedi.” — She said nonchalantly.

“You have a lightsaber, and the rank of a padawan. How could you not be considered as a Jedi?” — Crusher asked the next question immediately. The question which was on every clone’s mind at that moment.

“Crusher, right? See, there are not only Jedi in the galaxy who use lightsabers and are trained in using the force. I am from one of the many different secretive sects, namely the Gray Order.”

“Let’s just say I am on a one sided exchange student program in the Jedi Temple to create new connections between the two orders. It didn’t go well, and one knight thought that one of my techniques was a sacrilege and decided to attack me.”

“It didn’t go well for him either, but that is already more than I should have told you lot about this incident.”

“Tell me something about you now. What are your specialties and the rest of your names? Don’t worry in case some of you don’t have nicknames yet. We will figure something out soon. It is already enough that you look the same. I don’t want to call you almost the same way on top of that.”

“Beginning from Crusher towards the other end of your line, Gamma One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven Eight, am I right?” — Nizzal questioned funnily.

“Yes, commander.” — The clones answered.

“State your nicknames and specialty in that order. Alright? Let’s start then. You are Crusher, I already know that. What is your specialty?” — She asked and seemed to be honestly interested in it.

“I am the sub-commander. I specialize in fast decision making and situational awareness.”

“Good! That will be really useful! Next one?”

“Gamma Two, Brain, plan making and mission logistics.”

“Gamma Three, Handy, I have no specialization, but I knew a bit about everything.”

“Gamma Four, Stinger. I specialize in close quarter combat and capturing targets alive.”

The Commander reflexively gulped, hearing that, and she didn’t even comment on it.

“Next!” — She simply said, instead.

“Gamma Five, Ice, short and mid range combat, with automatic and semiautomatic rifle.”

“Gamma Six, Targetman, the same as Ice, but everyone aims at me first for some reason.”

“You have quite a bad luck there, don’t you?” — Nizzal said.

“Heh... I appreciate your sympathy, command-… ”

Stinger shouted, interrupting the conversation.

“Commander, don’t pity him, he is just ugly. That is why everyone is trying to put him out of misery!”

The commander blinked heavily after hearing that particular reasoning.

She bit into her lips, trying to suppress her smile, as she caught onto the joke.

Targetman shouted back. — “We all look the same way, you halfwit!”

“Next please!” — Shouted the commander. She couldn’t hold back her smile anymore, and therefore attempted some sort of misdirection.

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“Gamma Seven, Watcher, I specialize in long range, sniper rifles.”

“And what is yours, Gamma Eight?” — Nizzal asked.

“It’s Dozer, ma’am.” — Came the answer. Which caused Nizzal to flinch.

“For the force’s sake, do I look like a madam to you?” — She demanded.

“Yes, ma’am.” — Said Dozer with a smirk, eliciting a few more from the others standing in the line.

“Sigh, I never thought that I would have to join the army to find such a fine gentleman.” — Said the commander with thick sarcasm. Someone even whistled at that.

Nizzal smiled and asked meaningfully.

“I hope your specialty is not womanizing?”

“That’s just my hobby, ma’am. As a soldier, though, I prefer to blow up stuff.”

“Ah, the pyrotechnic, then! Quite a well-balanced team, I have to say. Now come over here and sit with me. Time for our first team meeting to officially begin.”

With that said, she plopped down on the floor uncharacteristically. Alas, nobody else seemed to move from their line.

“So, what are you waiting for? Come over, and sit in a circle. I won’t bite.” — She smiled toothily.

‘What a strange girl…’ — Thought Crusher, while walking over and sitting down. The others soon followed. When everyone took their place, she continued.

“So, I know quite a lot of battle formations and tactics, but I am afraid that they are not up to date and not against enemy droid armies, but humanoids. Therefore, until I learn the proper formations, I will give the quick decision making to Crusher, as the next in rank after me. Clear?”

That sentence made Crusher honestly surprised. The others also blinked a few times before they nodded, accepting the offer that practically resolved their main issue with this entire setup. After all, who in their right mind would refuse a trained force sensitive to join their unit?

No matter if said individual was just a child. They were perfectly aware of the extent of a Jedi’s power, meaning that even a child could prove an immensely valuable asset on the battlefield. Even if she doesn’t do anything else aside from deflecting incoming laser beams.

“Good, we will have the chance to warm up on some pitiful pirates in the next few days. If we find them, that is. Until then, we will learn of each other’s abilities starting from today. I want to see what your weapons are capable of, and I will show you some of my skills. You will have to know what you should and what you shouldn’t expect from me too, after all. Is that clear?”

“Clear!” — Came the unified answer once again.

“That’s the spirit. I am already beginning to like you guys. It was a long time since I had the opportunity to work with professional soldiers.” — She said, while stupidly smiling to herself, as if she was lost in some old memories.

“How old are you, if I may ask?” — Stinger asked the next question, out of nowhere, a slight tone of amusement sneaking into his words.

She blinked, clearly roused from her thoughts.

“Ah, sorry about that. I just remembered the good old days. By the way, I am thirteen. I thought you knew, since one of you already stated my age. Was it a blind guess? I see…”

The clones become even more confused from that. Giving weird glances at each other. Before Stinger could clarify his question, she continued with her words.

“I also heard that you guys are actually three years younger than me, so why do you care so much about my age?” — The girl pointed out the fact with a victorious smirk spreading across her pale cheeks.

That question was actually spot-on...

Targetman gave the answer to that. Somewhat self-consciously.

“Commander, we were raised for war. Our growth was fastened artificially. We may be ten years old, but we are actually twenty in body and mind.”

“Now, you see, that is a good example there. I can only tell you this, not everything is what it seems to be.” — She smiled mysteriously.

“So, boys, show me how your equipment looks like... I-I mean, your weapons...” — She stumbled over her words, her face suddenly turning a few shades darker gray.

The clones looked at each other with gleeful eyes. Uncertain how to react to the current situation. While she was clearly frustrated over those words and their possible secondary meanings.

‘Look at that. This is actually going to be fun.’ — Thought Crusher.

The other clones were snickering, and even Crusher had to admit that his lips took on the shape of a smile, seeing how frustrated she had become. — “Okay boys, leave some dignity to the commander. It’s her first time, after all.” — He called out to the unit with a purposeful innuendo.

Causing ever more chuckles among the soldiers.

“No, stop it!” — She shouted at us, hiding the lower half of her face in her palm. For once looking like her age, with the blush covering the upper half. Since she couldn’t take the embarrassment anymore, she eventually hid her face entirely behind her palms, trying to hide her own bubbling laughter.

“Let me explain commander” — Crusher stood up from the small circle of sitting soldiers. Bringing an end to the snickering. — “Our basic weaponry system is the DC-17m Interchangeable Weapon System.”

“That means it is a multifunction weapon. There is a reason why we carry these armored backpacks on our backs, after all. There are four different attachments to the same weapon changing it into a blaster rifle, a sniper rifle, an anti-armor grenade launcher, and last but not least the non-lethal Pulsed Energy Projectile emitter, in short, we used to call it PEP. Dozer, would you like to show off to our new commander what that exactly entails?”

“Yes sir, I am always ready to blow up some stuff!”

Dozer, also known as Gamma Eight, stood up this time and walked to the middle of the training grounds. There were different kinds of targets placed on the other end of the room. Dozer activated his weapon, then aimed it. There was a sudden burst of blue energy beams that hit one of the targets on the wall.

“That’s enough for now!” — Shouted Crusher, after a whole round was fired, it only took a few seconds. — “So that was the blaster rifle in full automatic mode. There are other modes like semi-automatic and single shot modes too.” — He added as an afterthought.

“Why is the laser’s color blue?” — Asked the commander.

“Well, it’s quite simple. We mostly fight against droids, therefore we use ion pulse weapons. It would kill any organics too, but it only delivers the real punch against droids.” — Explained Crusher.

Nizzal nodded to that explanation.

“We usually have around three-hundred rounds with us, but we used to customize our gear before every mission based on the data and expectations we had. Dozer, show us the big gun now.” — Crusher continued.

“Ha! On it boss!” — Dozer shouted back, more than happy to continue with the volatile presentation.

He changed the attachment on the weapon, taking off the first half of the gun and placing it into his backpack, while also attaching the new part to the weapons base. He then aimed it and shot at the targets. After the first shot, the target that was hit immediately broke apart.

“Stop right there, brother. We should leave some targets for the others, too.” — Stated Crusher, then turned back towards the commander.

“How do you like it, ma’am? That one is a heavy hitter. It fires solid projectiles encased in blaster energy, and also has a scope that can zoom in on two different modes, changeable between a ten-times and a twenty-times zoom. We also call it the can opener, if you know what I mean. Hey, Dozer, what the hell are you doing? We won’t test the grenade launcher on our damn ship!”

“Damn! But that is the best part, sir!” — The man complained.

“I feel ya, but the answer is still no! Damn pyromaniac.” — The others laughed around Crusher after hearing his snide comments. Even the commander smiled at it.

“The grenade launcher was specifically created to be used against tanks and heavy weaponry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t blow away some clankers with a precise shot. The only reason we are not used to doing that is because the grenades are very heavy and we can’t take that much with us. It is a waste to use them on simple droids. Dozer there thinks differently, though. He is our local pyromaniac, for a reason.”

Dozer shouted from the other side of the training field.

“What are you telling to the commander there, hey! Are you trying to blacken my name?”

Gamma Four, also known as Stinger, shouted back at him.

“Shut up, man. She will realize it soon enough, anyway!”

“Oh, hell no!” — Complained Dozer once again.

The others laughed.

“So, what I was trying to tell you is that he usually empties almost his whole backpack, and only brings nades in it. Sometimes he even steals some of our grenades when he’s used them all up, and can’t get anymore from the storage management team.”

“That was really not something you should have to tell to our new superior!” — Dozer shouted again, with some embarrassment in his voice.

Stinger shouted back at him.

“Like I said, she will realize it soon enough. Better now, then later.”

Another series of snickering later. The commander asked a question.

“So, how many grenades can he carry alongside with the basic rounds and at least the basic rifle attachment?”

“Fifteen!” — Shouted Dozer with pride in his voice.

“What is the chance that the grenades blow up in his backpack if he is shot?”

“Almost zero.” — Answered Ice this time. — “The grenades are created in a way that they only become activated when placed into the gun, but there is still a one to two percent chance per unit to blow up if they are hit.”

“Well, multiply it with fifteen different grenades and you’ve got a recipe for a catastrophe.” — Said the commander with a troubled expression.

Crusher froze uncharacteristically, actually thinking about what she said, and his expression became more and more horrified by the second.

“Dozer! You fucking idiot. Did you know about this?”

“Well, I guess...”

“You complete imbecile! I forbid you to carry more than six of those damnable bombs from now on! Cross me on this, and I will put you in front of the Military Court.”

“What, no way!”

“Shut up! Do you want to blow all of us up?!”

“...”

“Now show the last of the weaponry, you crazy bastard!”

“Yes, sir!”

He focused on the already changed weapon and shot a circle like energy beam at one of the targets. Then a few other shots, too.

“That’s enough for now! This is the PEP, the non-lethal one. The name should not deceive you, by the way. It won’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean that you will not end up in a hospital bed if hit by it without any armor or shield.”

Nizzal nodded to that.

“That was the brunt of it. We also have a few more tools, like a secondary blaster gun effective for close quarter combat, and a vibroblade built into the top of our gloves.”

Crusher raised his right hand, forming a fist in front of him. From the commander’s perspective, she could clearly see the top of his hand. As he activated the weapon, a small vibroblade charged forward until it reached its maximum reach, about twenty centimeters. It was resembling one of the intergalactic common signs of communication, namely, flipping the bird. The commander seemed to realize this too, but effectively ignored it, with a weak shake of her head. Then she asked.

“Can you give me one of your secondary handguns?”

“Of course, commander.” — Crusher stated, then gave her his without a second thought.

She eagerly took it, checked it over from a few different angles, then said.

“I like it, and therefore I will keep this. Think of it as a punishment for your cheek. And I also need a handgun. A lightsaber is a good weapon, but it has some flaws too.”

Crusher nodded to that statement. One more thing that he never expected to hear from a Jedi. Well, she already said it. She is not one. With that in mind, Crusher also gave her his gun holder belt. She accepted it with a happy smile and soon attached it to her hip.

‘What a weird gal.’ — Crusher thought, for the second time. — ‘But one thing was clear. We hit the jackpot with this one.’

While she was occupied with her new toy, Crusher looked over at his team. They were also smiling and nodding towards him with clear acceptance on their faces. Their test was over. From now on, if she doesn’t change her ways, she will be their commander.

----------------------------------------

‘I sneaked a peek at my new squad. They happily smiled at each other with knowing looks, giving quick nods and small gestures towards Crusher. I sighed, feeling my shoulders relax finally. I managed to get over their test and it seems they accepted me as their commander for now. I felt my palms sweat from the pressure they gave me until now. It was not an obvious pressure, mind you, but for someone with access to the force, it becomes very clear.’

‘I was looking at the floor, already thinking over the events of the last thirty minutes. When I sensed a hand carefully touching my left shoulder. I looked up, seeing Crusher standing before me and looking down at me with a supporting smile. He then said.’

“Commander, aren’t you supposed to show us your special abilities? We have already laid out our own cards. It’s your turn now.”

‘Oh, yeah, it’s only fair towards them if I do. I nodded to him, then walked to the training field. When I reached the ideal distance, I turned back towards them.’

“My basic fighting style is using my lightsaber in one hand, while with the other hand, I use a blaster or channel the force with it. I can’t channel the force effectively if there is a blaster in my hand or if I am holding something else. I have to place it back into the weapon holder before I can use it properly. Remember that.”

The clones nodded. Listening to her explanation.

“If I had time to enter into a meditative trance, I could use the force in a much freer manner and in a larger area, but it takes much preparation to achieve that, at the minimum, one hour, but usually even more.”

“That technique can be used in situations when we know that we will soon enter into a confrontation. It is called battle meditation, one of my most powerful techniques.”

“Using it, I can assist and control even a large scale battle helping our troops to be in the right place at the right time, raising their morale while simultaneously weakening the enemy’s will to fight. The last part doesn’t work on droids. Ah, and while I am doing this technique, I can’t fight, so someone has to guard me. Also, right now, since I am practically a child, I can’t really use it effectively in large-scale combat, but a few hundred troops should work fine.”

‘The clones looked at me with confused eyes, as if I had grown another head or something.‘

“I see that you have many questions about this, but I can’t really describe it in a better way. We will try it out tomorrow and you will understand it naturally.”

‘They nodded to that.’

“Also, there are many easier to do techniques I would like you to know of. I think this you already know, but if that isn’t the case, I will tell you now. With my lightsaber I can effectively deter laser beams. I can even hit the enemy with their own shot. It is a defensive technique, good to surprise the enemy and distract them.“

“Although, since I like to use my saber with one hand, I don’t really use it. I have another technique for that, but I would like one of you to help me with the presentation.”

One of the clones was pushed and stumbled forward a few steps. He immediately gave an angry glare towards the one who had pushed him.

I looked at him and asked.

“You are?”

“Watcher, commander.”

“Oh sure, thank you for your assistance. I would like to ask you to shoot at me with your rifle.”

‘A silence fell upon the room, as if a switch had been changed. The light-hearted smiles immediately disappeared. They watched me with questioning gazes, seemingly trying to figure out if I had lost my sanity in this short time.’

‘Understandably, Watcher was the one who was the most surprised.’

“I won’t shoot at my commander with a deadly weapon, he said with clear annoyance in his voice.”

“Eh... fine, then use the stunner attachment and do it with that.”

‘He was still agitated from my request, but after he looked at Crusher, seemingly asking for permission, he nodded and so he changed the attachment. He aimed at me, then asked.’

“Are you ready, commander? I won’t be responsible if you spend your next day in the infirmary.”

“I appreciate your concern, but it is misguided.”

‘He shot at me, finally.’

‘I raised my left hand in the way of the stun beam. Everyone was shocked by this, since they all expected me to dodge it or block it with the lightsaber. One of them even shouted at me to jump away immediately.’

‘I channeled my force powers into the palm of my hand and also extended outwards the energy shield in a half circle about the size of my body in front of me. This shield was almost entirely invisible to people who were not trained in the ways of the force. Only a few small ripples in the air could be seen. The energy beam was, of course, caught up in this whirlwind-like shield, and it morphed into a weird form, then disappeared in my closing palm.’

‘I liked this technique because I could steal energy from blaster shots and even other force techniques sent to harm me. It was the light side way of siphoning energy. It was not that effective, as the dark side version, and it didn’t steal life energy from someone else, but transformed a small part of the energies while forcefully disintegrating them.’

‘Of course, it can’t simply disintegrate any magnitude of energy, but a few hundred normal laser beams or lightning techniques are within its boundaries. It also could be forcefully overloaded to release it in a controlled manner, blasting away a large chunk of the enemy force if they were unlucky enough to be caught up in it.’

‘I realized that the clones were unusually silent around me since I was again submerged in my thoughts.’

‘I straightened my back and told them the basics of the technique. They were dumbfounded, hmm... Well, probably I should show some attacking techniques too. I just know the right choice.’

“Okay, now I will show you one of my favorite attack techniques. It is called force lightning. This will be the one I use most of the time for attacking, also small force pushes, but they don’t look half that cool.”

‘The clones nodded silently and continued to watch me. I closed the front part of my helmet. There was a built-in adaptive light reducing transparisteel visor. So my eyes wouldn’t hurt from looking into my lightning, or any other light that normally could blind me momentarily.’

‘Also, this was the reason I chose to wear a fingerless glove. I wouldn’t want to blast apart my own clothes with my lightning.’

‘I hold out my left arm, pointing towards one of the practice targets. This time I focused a low energy stream into my fingers. I felt as the tension began to prickle my fingertips. Then the first small lightning appeared. They soon turned into a continuous stream of discharges blasting into the target about ten meters in front of me. The steel droid dummy slowly began to melt as its head fell to the floor. I decided to stop with the presentation. I turned towards the clones, waiting for their praises.’

----------------------------------------

Watcher was still standing at the place where he shot the stunner gun at his new commander. He looked at the deformed form of the melted droid with awe and fear. He began to realize that the girl wasn’t joking about partially cooking a Jedi knight.

She finally stopped the lightning show, opened up her helmet, and turned towards them with a proud smile, as if hoping for praises. He also realized something strange. Those pink eyes were nowhere to be found anymore. They were changed to an unnatural yellow color that gave him goosebumps. Wait, they began to change back. He blinked a few times and her eyes were back in their original color. Was he imagining things? Now it seemed to him that her skin color was much paler than a few minutes ago? Is this some Jedi mind trick? It must be.

He wondered.

----------------------------------------

The other clones were sitting in their original place while watching the presentation. Every one of them took differently to the current situation. Dozer, and his two best chums, Ice and Targetman, were watching the lighting with clear fascination. They were clearly enjoying the show.

Stinger was looking at it with a confronted expression. He most likely hadn’t decided yet what to think of it.

Crusher wasn’t that shocked. It certainly looked flashy and cool, but a blaster gun was just as effective in his eyes, and much more reliable.

On the other hand, Crusher noted that Watcher seemed to be acting strangely. He stood closest to the show. Maybe he saw something they didn't.

‘Gonna ask him later.’ — Crusher decided silently, then turned towards the next soldier.

Handy was pretending to be uninterested, but he could sense the discomfort radiating from him, and Brain had a thoughtful expression on his face. He was also slowly stroking his chin, most likely contemplating the possible use of those force techniques. — Crusher finished his observations then slowly shook his head. What the hell did he get involved in again?