For having lived such a short life, there were still plenty of things that CT-7331 knew: He knew how much det-charge was needed to blow a hole through a standard airlock. He knew just how far he could overcharge an energy cell before it stopped being effective. He knew that he could always depend on his fellow clones -- his brothers -- to cover his back in combat. Most importantly, he knew for certain who created him and what his purpose in life was: To live, and die if need be, in service of the Galactic Republic; which was more than could be said for trillions of other beings in the galaxy.
Despite all this however, there was still one thing that he did not know, and that was the answer to whether or not his creators had truly allowed him to continue on existing, or if they were still considering to "recondition" him with every passing day.
Indeed, his Instructor’s efforts had stopped the Kaminoans from terminating him once before and the designation of Requiring Intensive Supervision became the very proof of that, but it did not in any way guarantee his continued survival -- he knew it only meant that they would always keep a close eye on him. One mistake, one misstep was all they needed to justify his termination and examination, the better to avoid similar mistakes in future batches.
So it was that when training turned up in intensity and volume over the past several days that 7331 began to fear for his life more than usual. He always found comfort in routine and to see a sudden change in it made him uneasy. While 7331 had vastly improved himself since last the Kaminoans had confronted Instructor Harkin about him, he was still far from being the ideal trooper in his own eyes. To break from routine was to potentially expose his perceived shortcomings, something he definitely did not want to happen.
The all-too-familiar voice of 7642 would shake 7331 from his musings, and he quickly collected himself and took note of his surroundings from behind the orange-tinted visor of his training helmet. The EWHB-12’s generator was heavy in his hands and he looked around to make sure all his brothers were there with him. Taking deep breaths and hyping himself up, he failed to realize Bruiser wasn’t there alongside the others.
“Yeah.” 7331 finally uttered meekly in response to 7642’s remark after a period of silence, clearing his throat and returning the pat on his shoulder with a rather unenthusiastic nod. “Let’s make sure not to disappoint ori’vod.”
With both hands holding onto the generator while the tripod remained securely slung over his back, 7331 followed the rest of his squad’s lead and prepared himself by the starting line. Once again, he regulated his breathing and closed his eyes, waiting for the signal to begin.
Citadel Course. Training. Easy does it now. You can do this, 7331.
The blare of the horn marked the start of the training and immediately 7331’s eyes opened to scan the shifting course in front of him. Like 6619, he noted the elevated position and knew that that was where the turret needed to be.
"On it," was all 7331 managed to speak out in reply to 6619's question and without wasting a single second, he bolted straight towards the position his brother had pointed out, struggling ever so slightly with the heavy generator in his hands and hoping to make it there before the droids began putting bolts downrange.
He didn’t spare a moment to look back behind or around him, counting on 7642 to mirror his movements as he usually did. The faster he and 7642 got the turret up, the faster they could support the others.
Despite all this however, there was still one thing that he did not know, and that was the answer to whether or not his creators had truly allowed him to continue on existing, or if they were still considering to "recondition" him with every passing day.
Indeed, his Instructor’s efforts had stopped the Kaminoans from terminating him once before and the designation of Requiring Intensive Supervision became the very proof of that, but it did not in any way guarantee his continued survival -- he knew it only meant that they would always keep a close eye on him. One mistake, one misstep was all they needed to justify his termination and examination, the better to avoid similar mistakes in future batches.
So it was that when training turned up in intensity and volume over the past several days that 7331 began to fear for his life more than usual. He always found comfort in routine and to see a sudden change in it made him uneasy. While 7331 had vastly improved himself since last the Kaminoans had confronted Instructor Harkin about him, he was still far from being the ideal trooper in his own eyes. To break from routine was to potentially expose his perceived shortcomings, something he definitely did not want to happen.
The all-too-familiar voice of 7642 would shake 7331 from his musings, and he quickly collected himself and took note of his surroundings from behind the orange-tinted visor of his training helmet. The EWHB-12’s generator was heavy in his hands and he looked around to make sure all his brothers were there with him. Taking deep breaths and hyping himself up, he failed to realize Bruiser wasn’t there alongside the others.
“Yeah.” 7331 finally uttered meekly in response to 7642’s remark after a period of silence, clearing his throat and returning the pat on his shoulder with a rather unenthusiastic nod. “Let’s make sure not to disappoint ori’vod.”
With both hands holding onto the generator while the tripod remained securely slung over his back, 7331 followed the rest of his squad’s lead and prepared himself by the starting line. Once again, he regulated his breathing and closed his eyes, waiting for the signal to begin.
Citadel Course. Training. Easy does it now. You can do this, 7331.
The blare of the horn marked the start of the training and immediately 7331’s eyes opened to scan the shifting course in front of him. Like 6619, he noted the elevated position and knew that that was where the turret needed to be.
"On it," was all 7331 managed to speak out in reply to 6619's question and without wasting a single second, he bolted straight towards the position his brother had pointed out, struggling ever so slightly with the heavy generator in his hands and hoping to make it there before the droids began putting bolts downrange.
He didn’t spare a moment to look back behind or around him, counting on 7642 to mirror his movements as he usually did. The faster he and 7642 got the turret up, the faster they could support the others.