Chapter 76 - Identity

Dageer opened the box, and inside it was a shiny new helmet. He used both hands to pick up the helmet and saw it was very different from the normal ones.

First of all, it had one of the macrobinoculars that was only present on lieutenant and higher ranks. The macrobinoculars was different from the usual ones, slimmer and more powerful. It had many functions, like night vision, 100x zoom, detection software that provided distance, wind, elevation and more.

But that was by far the less eye-catching piece of the helmet. What really caused an impression was the dark, reddish-brown paint.

The right side was plain white like the standard armor, but on the left was a stylized horn, much like the one on Commander Keeli's helmet.

The base of the horn started a little above the neck piece, and started thinning as it went up. It ended when it met the visor, and appeared once above it. At the top, the tip of the horn was only one finger large, and made a curve to the side part of the helmet, ending in a half-circle.

It was amazing. Dageer never thought he would use those words to describe a helmet, but it was really amazing.

Dageer picked his old helmet, full of scorched marks, dust and scars, and put it carefully on the box. Old or not, the helmet saved his life many times, and Dageer felt it deserved some respect. After that, he put his new helmet, and it fitted perfectly, just like his old one.

The helmet was new, but he felt a sense of familiarity with it, just like the one he felt with blasters, even when he had never used them. It was his soldier genes talking.

He pushed down the macrobinoculars, and started playing with it. The islands that before were just a dot on the sea, now were clear as day, and he could even see the distance between them.

Realizing that he was behaving like a Kowakian monkey-lizard, Dageer held his new helmet under his arms and saluted Commander Keeli and General Di.

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Dageer was already respected by the men of the 303rd, but his prestige grew a few steps after his promotion. He was now the sub-commander, and slowly his achievements started to spread.

He was the clone who destroyed an AAT using a grenade on his first battle. He was the clone who formed up a special squad from zero. He was the clone who took down an entire Battlesphere. He was the clone who confronted the weapon of death of the Separatist, the Harverst. He was the clone who lead a group of men in the sewers and tore apart a droid base. He was the clone who hijacked a Separatist cruiser on Kamino, and risked his life when he threw it on the enemy forces. He was the clone who took a bunch of shines and commanded them to fight more than a hundred mon calamarians. He was the clone who fought a Blixus and used it to destroy his enemies.

Here and there he would hear someone talking about him, and many of his closest friends, like Rozal, Fondor, Guard and Berro, went up to congratulate him.

...

In the end, they didn't return to Kamino. Two CR90s were sent back with the supplies, and The Sincerity, together with the rest of General Di's fleet, was going to their next destination. Now, Dageer was going to a meeting to discover exactly what was that destination.

Fully clad in armor, his helmet standing out, Dageer's presence made every clone stop what they were doing and greet him. When he arrived at the door of the command bridge, the four guards stepped aside and made way for him.

With the black space as background, the command bridge was less crowded than Dageer expected. General Di and Commander Keeli were with Admiral Dao, seeing the projection of a planet. They all had worried expressions on their faces, but that didn't tell much, as all commanders had that kind of face.

"General Di, sir. Admiral Dao, commander."

The Nikto looked up, and called Dageer closer. He then pointed to the planet on the projection. The planet looked like it was actually two, the smaller one, made of earth and so, and a bigger one, like a sphere enveloping it, made of water. Dageer had a bad feeling.

"Dageer, are you familiar with that planet?"

"It feels familiar, sir, but I don't actually know what planet it is. Can you...?"

The jedi answered him ambiguously, not saying the name of the planet but telling him everything he needed to know.

"I called you here for two reasons Dageer. First of all, you are the sub-commander. Secondly, I want you to detail the battle you had with the mon calamarians on Scarif. Because we are going to their home."