52This collection of one-shots was inspired by GettingTraught's 'Clones and Their Commander'.
Commander Wolffe, after 'Rising Malevolence'
Sometimes, we can only save the survivors.
"General Koon's faring best." Kix told Ahsoka, his soft voice echoing through the quiet medbay, "Followed by Sinker and Boost." They walked further into triage and Ahsoka observed the men inside, all neatly tucked into their beds with thick blankets.
The medbay was calm, much calmer than usual. No blood stained the floor, nobody was screaming in pain and none of the medics had reached the caf-dependent stage of exhaustion. Torrent's casualties were minimal, so the only permanent patients were the Wolfpack survivors and Master Plo who was sat up in his bed, reading a datapad.
He waved at Ahsoka, earning a shy smile in return. She was glad that her oldest friend was on the mend, but he wasn't the reason she paid a visit to the medbay.
The clone medic halted and the Padawan followed his gaze to the furthest bed that was tucked in the corner, "What about Wolffe?"
He seemed to be sleeping peacefully like the others, but Ahsoka had come to the medbay after feeling his intense, negative emotions in the Force- so strong that it made her nauseous.
Kix pursed his lips, "There's no cure for nightmares, Commander."
He didn't say anything else before Ahsoka was gravitating forwards. Wolffe's nightmares were what called her to the medbay. Dark, twisting images of the Malevolence sending Master Plo's fleet into a complete shutdown. The clone bodies floating in space, sucked out of their pods. The impending sense of doom.
"You got something to say, kid?" He asked suddenly, making her jump. "Or are you just going to stand there?" She didn't even realise she had made it to his bedside.
Words failed her. Wolffe had never introduced himself to her, despite their frequent encounters, and Ahsoka always felt like squirming under his harsh glare. Even with his eyes closed, Wolffe was scowling.
"H-How are you?" She found herself asking, leaning against the railing of his bed. Nobody had ever told her that the beds could move, and Wolffe jerked his eyes open when the bed scrapped across the floor, "Sorry!"
As she pulled the bed back into position, Ahsoka didn't miss the way Wolffe's eyes went wide and the heart monitor sped up. Awkwardness filled her, leaving her speechless. Master Skywalker once told her that clones have nerves of steel, so Wolffe's panic was... unsettling.
"I'm fine." He said eventually, breaking the silence, "Medic said I was affected more because I wasn't wearing armour."
"Well, you'll be alright now, and so will the rest of your men." She tried to reassure him, "Kix's the best of the best."
"Hm." He replied, scowling again, leading them into another painfully awkward silence.
Sure, Anakin could be difficult to converse with sometimes, but Ahsoka could easily walk away from her Master to find another source of entertainment. Now, she would've looked like a terrible person if she walked away. Besides, she wasn't talking to Wolffe to entertain herself, she was trying to help him.
"The first time I fought Ventress, I thought I was going to die." He glared at her with a raised eyebrow, causing her to stutter, "So, d-don't feel ashamed."
"Ashamed of what?" He spat, looking down at his feet. "Clones aren't afraid of death."
"Says who?" She asked, angry that he felt the need to act so unaffected even after nearly being vacuumed out of an escape pod. His only response was to cast her a nasty look.
She hadn't been near many clones during their final breaths, the medics and her Master always tried to shelter her from it, but their Force-signatures always projected fear before they passed.
"I wasn't afraid of dying, kid." He was lying. Every report about the mystery weapon stated that there were no survivors and any person, clone or not, would be terrified to face something like that. "I just wish there were more survivors."
That caught her off guard, and here she thought Wolffe was incapable of having emotional responses.
"I'm so sorry about your men." She rested a hand on his shoulder, and when he didn't flinch, she squeezed gently. "I... it's not the same, but after Teth..."
Her voice start to shake, but when the Commander nodded in solidarity and understanding, she didn't have to continue. Teth could never really compare to the Malevolence, even if the numbers of casualties were similar.
When the rest of Torrent found out that only three clones survived the Malevolence, shock rippled all the way up the ladder. Master Plo's men were some of the best in the GAR, and their reputation was well-known. The fact that the Separatists had decided to attack them, and succeeded, had shocked everyone.
"Sucked out of those pods like angry nerfs being released from a pen." She could tell he wasn't exaggerating, "They stood no chance of surviving, and I had no chance of saving them."
He turned his head towards her, "As Commanders, it's our responsibility to keep our men alive. You've been in this war, what? Less than 3 months? You don't know how much faith your men are putting in you, kid."
Ahsoka clenched her jaw, "My men put a lot of faith in my Master and I, but they also understand that sometimes, we can't promise survival. Sometimes," Her throat closed up just thinking about that horrible jungle planet and Ventress and Jabba's son, "Sometimes, we can only save the survivors."
"As Commanders, we have to accept this fact." She added with a bite in her tone. "Our all will not always be enough, but the best men under our command can understand this."
Rex had not once blamed Ahsoka or Anakin for their losses on Teth, even though they could've saved more men if their mandate to return Rotta to Tattooine hadn't been put under so much pressure.
They waited in silence for a while. Wolffe's walls were not penetrable like the men in Torrent. She could usually get Rex to crack if he had something on his mind, and it was easy to cheer up Denal or Kix when they felt defeated. There was no way to warm Wolffe's ice-cold heart.
"How about you mark their legacy?"
His eyes snapped up to her, "I've said my prayers of remembrance, what else do I have to do?"
"Honour them." She told him, "Create something in memory of them, like painting your armour."
"Painting what?"
"I don't know!" She threw her hands in the air before getting an idea, "How about a wolf?" He gave her an unimpressed look, "Yes! A wolf! Wolves are cool and tough, just like you and your men."
His lips flickered into what may have been a smile, but it was hard to tell, "Let me get this straight, kid. You're suggesting I honour my fallen brothers by painting wolves onto my armour?"
"And by encouraging your new men to do the same. You would quickly become a reputable name." She frowned, "Although, the 104th Battalion sounds a bit boring." She quipped a teasing smile, "You don't have a cool name like Torrent Company."
"You don't know the difference between a Company and a Battalion." He said, shooting her down again.
"Fancy some dinner, Commander?" Kix asked, appearing beside them with a tray of steaming food in one hand. At first, Ahsoka thought he was addressing her, but then the Padawan saw something she never thought she would see.
Wolffe smiled- a proper, real smile.
Ahsoka's jaw dropped open as the medic raised the top of Wolffe's bed and passed him the tray, all the while his eyes were lit up like a youngling being offered candy. "Meat and vegetable stew with rice, double portion." Kix lifted his eyes to her, "Ahsoka can help me in the office if you'd like to eat alone, Commander."
She recognised her cue to leave and straightened when Wolffe spoke out, "She can stay."
Ahsoka felt her chest swell with pride; Wolffe didn't hate her enough to make her leave whilst he ate his dinner. With one last tight smile, Kix left the pair and retreated to the office. Wolffe watched the medic until the office door closed before looking at the tray on his lap.
It was practically inhaled.
Ahsoka grimaced at the disgusting sound of lips smacking and meat being chewed, it made her want to gag. Wolffe paid her no mind as he devoured the mountain of food in less than three minutes. Honestly, Ahsoka thought watching Anakin eat was gross, but this was a new level of uncivilised mannerism.
"You eat like a pack of starved wolves..." Ahsoka trailed off before gasping, "The Wolfpack!"
He furrowed his brow at her, chewing one of his final mouthfuls, "The what?"
"The Wolfpack!" She repeated excitedly, "That's a perfect name to honour your brothers."
He started to laugh, revealing half-chewed food in his mouth which made bile rise in her throat, "The Wolfpack? Don't be ridicu-" He stopped laughing and murmured it under his breath, "The Wolfpack."
"See? I didn't even need to use a Jedi mind trick." Ahsoka was beaming as he genuinely considered her suggestion, "What made you feel better; having Kix wait on you, hand and foot, or having a squad named after you?"
"I'll tell you something, kid, might come in handy with your own men." For the first time, he made eye contact without looking straight into her soul, "The way into a clone's heart is pretty girls and hot food."
Ahsoka frowned, feeling slightly offended that she wasn't enough to cheer him up, "Kix is pretty, but he's not a girl."
Wolffe rolled his eyes, "Don't see you offering me any hot food, Soka."
A grin grew on her face, erasing any signs of irritation. She pointed to his plate, "You look like you could use seconds, Commander, let me get that for you."
Just as she went to walk away, Wolffe called, "Thanks for coming back for us, kid."
Glancing over her shoulder, she grinned, "I'll always come back for someone as cheerful as you, Wolfie."
He immediately scowled at the nickname, causing the Togruta to giggle. She left the medbay with a warm feeling in her chest, promising to never leave a clone behind.
Word count: 1,704 - Published: 10/04/2020 - Last updated: 10/09/2020
There we go; Wolffe made the first chapter! His relationship with Ahsoka is explored briefly in the TV show, but I've always wondered how they would interact alone.
Yours truly, dieFabuliererin
