Chapter Text
It was training day. That week, a new batch of shinies came in, and they needed to be trained the 212th way.
I was adjusting my training robes, which had less material than my regular uniform since I needed to move easily during hand-to-hand combat training with the boys. As I adjusted my hair, ensuring it was in a secure enough ponytail, one of the new troopers came to my side. Taking note of his smug look when I glanced at him, I raised a brow but didn't say anything, waiting until he got whatever he wanted to say out.
After a moment, he cleared his throat, and I turned to him with a sigh, sensing the arrogance and "I'm better than you" attitude oozing off him. The shiny brushed a hand through his regulation-cut hair, maintaining his smug expression as he finally spoke,
"It's 'Astra', isn't it?"
Narrowing my eyes, I turned away, bringing my foot up to rest on the bench as I adjusted my shoe and corrected him, sass in my tone,
"Actually, it's 'captain' to you."
"Right. Sure." He scoffed a chuckle, and I moved on to my next shoe. But he was persistent, leaning against the wall and asking, "Anyway, what do you say I take you out for a drink sometime?"
"Excuse me?" I turned to him with narrowed eyes and a brow raised, my hands on my hips, daring him to go on. The shiny didn't seem phased by my reaction. If anything, he seemed proud to have my attention. The trooper smirked, taking up a confident stance.
"Look, I'm sure you've had a lot of guys talk you up. Who wouldn't want to get with the battalion's resident temptress? But I can show you a much better time."
It took everything in me to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. I was utterly shocked at the balls the shiny had to say what he did to me—little kriffer.
Before I had the chance to reply and call him out, Cody shouted from the centre of the room to start training,
"All right, boys! Time to get started, so get your asses over here."
I turned my attention back to the shiny, wanting to say something, but he spoke first, sending me a wink,
"Think about it, huh, sweetness?"
He walked away, joining the rest of the boys. I narrowed my eyes at the back of his head and reluctantly walked over to stand behind Cody to the side with my hands behind my back, keeping my irritation at bay. Mind your feelings.
"For those of you who are new and haven't been paying attention, I'm Commander Cody." Codes gestured to me, and I gave a nod. "This is Captain Astra. Second-in-command. Today, we'll be focusing on sparring—hand-to-hand combat. Don't worry; we'll get to target practice later, but while it's one thing to shoot a blaster, it's another to hold your own without one. Now, the captain will be leading the session. Ash?"
I stepped forward, and Codes nodded, "How do you want to start?"
A brilliant idea immediately popped into my head. With a soft smile at my brother-figure, I offered,
"I was thinking we give a little demonstration. What do you say, Commander?"
"If that's what-"
"It is," I interrupted, turning to the smug shiny that hit on me. "It's 'Flex', right?"
Flex's eyes widened a bit before he quickly recovered and nodded. I tilted my head at him, my tone scarily sweet, "Why don't you come on up? Show off your skills?"
The shiny was nervous, and I could feel it. But with encouragement from the other troopers, he nodded. As Flex walked up, trying to look confident, Cody gently bumped my shoulder before I heard his voice in my head,
"I'm sure whatever your plan is, he deserves it?"
I let my smirk tease at my lips for just a second, using the Force to telepathically respond,
"Oh, absolutely."
Telepathic communication was a new trick Obi-Wan had been helping me work on, and I was starting to get pretty good at it. Cody and Rex were helping, giving me taps to know when I had to 'listen' for their voices in my mind. It was starting to become one of my favourite tricks.
Cody's chuckle echoed in my head before he spoke again,
"Go easy on him... or don't. I won't judge."
"Yes, sir."
Flex looked between Cody and me and swallowed nervously. This was going to be fun.
Cody gave Flex a hard pat on his back, complimenting with a hint of a smirk in his voice,
"Good man for volunteering, Flex."
Flex stumbled slightly but quickly recovered, turning to me with the same smug look from earlier. I kept my sweet smile, conveying innocence as I asked,
"Ready?"
The shiny smirked, getting into position.
"Sir, yes, sir."
I did the same, raising my fists. Cody prepared us,
"Ready!"
Looking directly into Flex's eyes, I let my sweet smile finally shift into a smirk. Flex's smirk fell as he seemed to realise what was happening right as Cody ordered, "Begin!"
I made the first move, going for a punch at his side, but Flex was quick, evading my attack and going in for his own. I watched his fist and took note of his footwork, raising my arm to block the blow before sweeping my leg to knock his legs out from under him. Flex's eyes widened, and a small squeak left his lips as he started to fall, hitting the training mat with a groan.
All the boys started snickering as I got to my feet, brushing the loose strands of hair out of my face. Flex sat up, a sour look on his face as I stood over him, my hands on my hips as I smirked down at him. With a fake pout, I spoke sweetly,
"Aw, nice try. Sorry that you lost to the 'battalion's temptress'."
Sensing that Flex had learned his lesson, I offered him a hand that he reluctantly accepted, letting me pull him to his feet. I gave him a pat on the back as he started to rejoin the group, where the boys were still stifling their laughs.
Codes returned to my side, and although his face showed nothing but business, I could sense his amusement and pride.
"Now, boys, take Flex here as an example of what happens if you decide to disrespect my second-in-command," Cody smirked. "Shall we get to the proper demonstration now, Captain?"
"Sure thing, Commander." I gave a teasing smile, challenging, "Care to take a shot? Show the boys why you're the one in charge?"
He thought for a moment, narrowing his eyes at me before he let out a soft chuckle and shrugged.
"Ah, why not? Wooley?"
"Yes, sir." Wooley stepped forward, coming in as a temporary ref.
Some of the boys whistled and clapped with encouragement as Cody and I got into position.
"Ten credits says Ash wipes the floor with him," I heard Waxer quietly say, making me smirk. Cody playfully narrowed his eyes at me, shaking his head as Boil replied,
"I'll take that bet. The commander's got a few tricks up his sleeve."
Wooley's voice made us focus,
"Ready... Begin!"
Cody and I circled each other. My brother-figure's stance was low and guarded, eyes focused. Watching him closely, I took note of his footing, trying to anticipate how and when he might strike. Then he lunged with a feint to the right, immediately followed by a left hook. But I'd sparred with Codes too many times to fall for it.
I ducked under his punch, feeling a rush of air as it passed and reacted in one fluid motion. Pivoting on my heel, I stepped in closer with a burst of speed. Using Cody's forward motion against him, I pushed off the ground, twisting my body mid-air. My leg shot up, hooking around his neck. His body tensed in surprise, his hands instantly grabbing me. I was faster and shifted my weight, yanking him off balance. The commander's body followed the motion, crashing to the mat with a grunt.
Before Cody could recover, I twisted and pinned him, one knee on his chest, my arm locking his wrist.
"Gotcha," I said, a teasing smile creeping up as he stared at me, half-amused and half-annoyed.
Cody let out a breathless chuckle, still catching his breath.
"Ha! Never bet against the captain!" Waxer cheered as I helped Codes to his feet. Cody sent Waxer a playful glare, making the others snicker before my brother-figure gave me a nod,
"Nice job."
"Thanks, Codes." I pat him on his chest before turning to the others, "All right, boys, pair up! We'll make it a competition: Whoever wins every sparring match gets the chance to beat me. Deal?"
"What do we get if we win?" one of the shinies asked.
I turned to my brother-figure, the two of us sharing a look. Cody smirked, gesturing for me to go ahead and make a decision. I couldn't help the smirk tugging at my lips, knowing he was only letting me decide because he knew I'd win. None of the boys had been able to beat me.
Thinking for a moment, I offered,
"How about 'captain' for a day?"
There was a chorus of agreement before the boys started pairing up and sparring on the training mats around the room.
Cody and I monitored everyone as the matches went on, ensuring everything was fair until we finally had a winner—a shiny.
As everyone gathered around Cody and me in the centre of the room, Striker stepped up as his brothers cheered. I smiled at the trooper, my arms crossed over my chest,
"Well done, Striker. I'm impressed."
"My skill in sparring is how I got my name, sir," he explained, a proud smirk on his face.
"Is that so? Well, you may be the best among your brothers, but you think you can beat me?"
"I'm certainly willing to give it a shot, sir."
I raised a brow with a smile, impressed with his confidence and flattery,
"Good answer."
As the two of us got started, I took note of his moves, his tactics and what he favoured. Striker was fast—too fast to meet head-on. His punches came quickly, his broad shoulders giving him power with every strike. I ducked and weaved, staying just out of reach, trying to find an opening. His footwork was steady, grounded by his strength, but his punches were where he left himself vulnerable. They came in rapid bursts, leaving small gaps.
I kept moving, studying the rhythm of his attacks. One... two... three punches, a half-step back, then he'd reset. The pattern was clear now.
On his next flurry, I sidestepped, letting his fist glide past my face. As he pulled back to reset, I moved in, closing the distance before he could react. My hands gripped his wrist, twisting his arm to throw him off balance. With his strong shoulders now working against him, I slipped behind him, one arm wrapped around his chest as I kicked the back of his knee. He dropped, and I shifted my weight, pressing him down into the mat.
"Fast punches, but you leave yourself open between them," I said, breathless but smiling.
Striker grunted, shaking his head with a grin.
"Was hoping you wouldn't catch that. You win, sir."
My smile matched his, appreciating Striker's continued display of respect as I helped him to his feet. All the others groaned but applauded, whispering among themselves. I could sense they were impressed, even if they were disappointed that Striker lost.
"Sorry, boys. Maybe next time."
Cody chuckled before regaining his commander position, taking charge,
"All right, enough whining. Grab your blasters. Time for target practice."
The troops did as they were told, and Cody placed his hand on my shoulder, smiling proudly.
The commander and I circled the room, watching the boys shoot their targets. Most of them were doing well, often able to correct their own mistakes if they didn't get a direct hit.
However, one of the shinies seemed to struggle a bit, hitting the ring around the banthaseye. Cody narrowed his eyes and walked us over, placing a firm hand on the trooper's shoulder,
"Having trouble, Trooper?"
He shook his head, defending himself,
"I've got it, Commander. Don't worry about me. These blasters are just a bit different to the training blasters on Kamino, sir."
While Cody nodded, a sceptical brow raised, I noticed the man's hand placement. It was something very minor but enough to mess up your shot if you didn't realise and correct it. Wanting to help and do my job as 'captain', I gave the trooper a soft smile and offered,
"Maybe try a different hand placement?"
I could sense the trooper's irritation as his attention moved from Cody to me.
"Thanks, Captain, but I think I know how to hold a blaster. You may be good at sparring, but proficiently using these DC-15s is another story." He turned to face the target again before he seemed to remember to add, "With all due respect, of course."
The shiny took another shot, missing the banthaseye once again. Cody and I shared a look, my brother-figure's eye raised while mine were narrowed. With a deep breath, I turned to the trooper practising next to the shiny, Patch, about to ask for his blaster. But Patch had already noticed what was happening beside him and quickly handed me his DC-15 without question. I smiled sweetly at him, and he gave me a nod.
As I grabbed the blaster, I glanced at the shiny, who had turned his attention away from his target and onto me. With an innocent grin, I placed my hands exactly where I was going to suggest he put his on his own blaster. When I started to raise the weapon, Patch and the two other troopers beside him, Gearshift and Trapper, all stepped out of the way. With a deep breath to steady myself, I took six shots at the three targets, two blasts each, landing the banthaseye perfectly every time.
The other shinies around the room were gawking, jaws on the floor, while the older boys smirked proudly, well aware of my skills with a blaster.
Turning to the medic, I smiled, handing him his weapon back,
"Thanks, Patch."
Patch nodded with a smile, going back to his practice as I turned to the shiny. My tone showed no malice as I smiled, "Want to try again?"
The trooper nodded, still in shock at my display of skill,
"Uh, yeah- yes... sir. Different hand placement. Thank you, sir."
"Good man," Cody nodded, patting the trooper on the shoulder.
As we walked away, continuing to circle the boys and watch their progress, Cody raised a brow with a smirk, quietly asking, "Crosshair?"
"Crosshair." I nodded with a proud smirk as I thought of my big brother, remembering all the times he'd helped me perfect my aim.
By the end of the day, exhaustion weighed on us all. Cody, ever the leader, gave the boys a few words of praise, his tone firm but encouraging. He ensured they all knew we could be shipped out for an assignment as early as 0600 the next morning. His words were met with quiet nods of understanding.
The commander and I stood by the door, watching each trooper file out. Their boots echoed in the near-empty hall. One by one, they paused—some offering a crisp salute, others a tired but genuine smile. I caught the subtle glances they shared with me, the weight of their respect almost palpable. It wasn’t spoken, but I felt it, settling over me like the quiet after a long battle. A sense of accomplishment stirred in my chest. I hadn’t just earned their respect today—I had earned their trust.