On Leave

"What about... the other half of the rumors... general?"

"What other half?"

"It is quite weird. The officers were saying that each legion is going to receive an 'identity'."

"That would be better discussed with Keeli, rather than me. He was directly involved in said rumors. Find him when you can. Now, Dageer, if that is all, your men are waiting."

"Yes, general. Thank you, general."

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Unfortunately, Dageer didn't have the chance to talk with Commander Keeli. The logistics of a disembark like the one they would do were almost as difficult and complex as the ones for an invasion.

First of all, money. Clones didn't receive payment or salary, but all their expenses were covered by the Republic, within a certain range, of course. Dageer had to make sure all the clones had what they needed. Obviously, when he said 'he needed', he meant the officers under him needed. Advantages of being a sub-commander.

Second and most important, Dageer had to oversee the transfer of the wounded. The infirmary on The Sincerity was as good as the one on a battleship could be, but it wasn't enough. They had limited supplies, so there were some moments after the more heated battles that the 303rd had to choose between leaving the minor wounds untreated or leave the severely wounded untreated.

Minor wounds such as scratches or cuts wouldn't affect the overall strength of the clones or of the army, but Dageer knew by experience how uncomfortable it was.

Dageer decided to see the injured personally. He couldn't go do something else without knowing how his brothers were.

The fleet arrived above Coruscant without much fuss. Looking at the planet for the first time, Dageer was as impressed as anyone else. Coruscant was a big planet, but even then, the capital of the Republic was turned into one massive city. There was no green or blue on the planet, only black, brown and orange. The lights could be seen from space no matter where you were, and the planet never slept.

Coruscant was divided into many different levels, including the underground ones, where the scum of the city lived. Nevertheless, Dageer wasn't expected to go there. The headquarters of the Clone Army was in one of the few unused areas of the planet, and every bar or entertainment center the clones needed was near there.

As an officer, Dageer knew the real reason why the soldiers were stationed away from the more bustling parts of the city. Four months had passed since the start of what the Senate first called a 'small and quickly solved conflict'. Although there were no open riots yet, the higher-ups were worried that if clones were allowed to walk on the city freely, problems would arise.

At start, most of the population, and senators, were siding with the Republic decision of waging war against the Separatist, and building a huge army of clones. But now some senators, mostly from the neutral factions, were inciting the population to speak against it.

Taking that reason in consideration, right before the 303rd disembarked, Commander Keeli called for a speech. He and Dageer stayed in front of the troopers, but in the end the only one to speak was Commander Keeli.

"303rd Attack Legion, listen up! For the last four months, we have fought from one planet to another. Now, it is time to let our brothers from other legions step up for a while. You have one week, but remember to follow the rules. Any trooper who is found out of our headquarters will suffer punishment."

There was an annoyed murmur between the clones. They weren't dumb, and didn't like being restricted to an area. But that wasn't what angered them the most. The reason for the murmur was the spam of their leave. But discipline was ingrained in their genetic code, and the buzz was silenced by the officers in a few seconds.

"The Republic needs us, brothers. Stick to the rules, obey your officers, and before long we will be back on the battlefield. I'm I clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

Commander Keeli turned around and started going down the big ramps that opened under The Sincerity. Dageer and Hell Squad made up half of the first line of troopers to set their foot on Coruscant.

As he had decided before, Dageer sent Hell Squad together with the main clone force, and followed the group that was going to the medical installations.

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The 303rd wasn't the only legion who had a hard time out in the galaxy. In the medical installations of Coruscant, thousands of clones from different legions filled up the dormitories and rooms. Dageer even saw some familiar faces. Monnk, for instance, and Commander Cody, both of which had just returned from battle.

Monnk was only accompanying his troops, but Commander Cody had a nasty wound on his face. He and the 212th were on some unnamed moon fighting the clanckers when an AT-TE blew up and the shrapnel almost took his eye out.

"I am glad to see that you are okay, Commander Cody."

"Thanks, Dageer. Keeli said you faced some problems with some bounty hunters."

"Commander Keeli was also there. But to tell the truth, it was General Di and his padawan who did most of the work. Most of the time me, the commander, Brain and Metal were just tagging along."

Commander Cody just nodded. Clones had no need to be too humble between themselves, and Commander Cody knew that Dageer wasn't giving his general all the credit out of humility.

"Well, commanders, I see you around. I need a good night of sleep to recover from all that dust of Tatooine."

"All right, Dageer. I will have to stay here a bit more because of my injury. You should check out the Revontre. It is the best and only place for us while we are on leave. I will see you there."

"Thanks for the advice, commander. Commander Cody, Commander Monnk."

After saying his farewells to the clone commanders, Dageer left the medical installations, but before anything, he went to the headquarters of the 303rd to have a bath. That was a luxury the clones didn't have in the middle of battles, and he had come all the way from Tatooine to Coruscant without stopping by his quarters.