#el-les

Shaak Ti stretched until her lekku swayed slightly behind her, easing the ache from her shoulders and spine. Meditation had its discomforts, yes, but sitting at a desk all day was a different kind of trial entirely. One that left her stiff, irritable, and far less centered than she preferred.

Kaminoan politics would do that to anyone.

Still, as liaison, she liked to believe she’d made a difference. Subtle improvements. Small mercies, but mercies nonetheless.

She rose from her chair and left her office, exhaling as the door slid shut behind her.

This. This was her favorite part of the day.

The training facilities were alive in a way offices never were.

Whistles echoed before she even reached the aquatic wing. As the doors hissed open, Shaak squinted against the sharp fluorescent lights reflecting off endless stretches of water. Pools filled the cavernous room. Cadets lined up at diving boards, seated in tight formation while instructors gestured sharply at holoboards. Others clustered at pool edges, watching demonstrations, while others churned through drills in the water itself.

“Breathe, kick, streamline!” an instructor barked.

“Yes, sir!” the cadets echoed in unison.

Shaak moved slowly along the perimeter. Instructors stiffened the moment they noticed her. They didn’t like Jedi getting involved in their training tactics. She offered only nods in return, never lingering long enough to draw cadet attention away from their lessons. Swim training was no small thing here. There had been far too many drownings over the years. Too many losses that could have been prevented.

She was about to move on when she noticed him.

A cadet, Year 3 most likely, sat apart from the others with his back against the wall, knees drawn up. One hand pinched his nose; the other rested awkwardly in his lap. His regulation swim blacks were still damp and torn slightly at the knee. As Shaak drew closer, the glint of blood caught the light, and the swelling bruise beneath his right eye had already begun to darken.

She slowed her steps.

He startled when he noticed her, scrambling to his feet.

Shaak raised a hand, palm outward.

He froze, then sank back down.

At this age, they all wore identification bracelets. Inside, a chip that could be scanned to pull up everything from vitals to batch assignments. On the outside, only a designation number.

“CT-3337?” She read off of it.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“That looks quite painful,” she said, settling beside him. Her gaze flicked to the instructor already watching them.

The cadet followed her line of sight and quickly added, “I fell, ma’am.”

“I see.”

She spoke to the cadet, attempting to get his mind off of his busted nose. They eventually landed on the topic of colors.

“What’s your favorite color?” she asked.

He blinked, thinking hard. “Shades. I like shades. Sky blue, lilac, mint green.” He thought some more before offering: “I used to like colors when I was younger. Blue. Red. Green. What’s your favorite color?”

“Orange, because you can eat it,” she explained, “and you can’t eat other colors. Unless you eat mint, of course,” she added.

He frowned, trying to follow. “Mint isn’t a color, it’s a shade.”

Shaak laughed softly. “And you would be right.”

They talked as the drills continued in front of them.

“My batch went to Sector Fifty-Six a few rotations ago,” 3337 said. “We got to try nat-born foods. I like jogan fruit.”

“Mmm,” Shaak hummed. “I don’t think my palette is quite as evolved as yours.”

“There’s still time.”

She smiled at that. Something cadets and younglings seemed to have in common was their ability to drop wisdom without even realizing it.

“What year are you in?” she asked.

“Year Three.”

“And what do you do in Year Three?”

“Lots of individual testing. The trainers say it’s important, but I’m not a fan.”

“Well,” Shaak said lightly, “the good news is it’s mostly team-based assignments in Year Fifty-Two.”

3337 gawked at the number.

She laughed quietly.

“Do you get along with everyone in your batch?” she asked, watching his brothers run drills across the pool.

“Yes,” he said. Then, after a beat, “Do you get along with everyone in your batch?”

Her gaze flicked briefly to the door, where Commander Colt stood waiting for her. “Yes,” she said softly. “I do. And do you get along with your trainers?” she asked.

He glanced toward the far end of the pool to El-Les. “Yeah. My trainer this year is nice. Year Two was nice too. I don’t remember Year One, but I think they were probably nice.”

“You must be on a lucky streak,” Shaak said. “Good things happen in threes.”

They talked a little longer.

“I want to be a scuba trooper,” he said, “and a sniper.”

“You should add one more thing,” Shaak said. “Do you know why?”

He smiled. “Because good things happen in threes?”

“Exactly.”

A medic walked through the doors, looking around before making his way to the pair. Commander Colt walked with him. 3337 wouldn’t be allowed back into the pools until he was cleared by the medic as was protocol.

“If I come back,” 3337 asked quickly, “will you still be here?”

“Maybe,” Shaak said. “Why?”

“You’re the coolest person I’ve ever met.”

Something warm bloomed in her chest.

“If you come back,” she said, offering her hand, “will you be a scuba trooper and a sniper?”

“I am a scuba trooper and a sniper.”

She squeezed his hand gently. “And you’re a third thing.”

He frowned. “What’s that?”

“You’re the coolest person I’ve ever met.”

Authors Note: Just a short little one-shot in theory was cute but turned out to be a pain in the ass to write lol. I was planning on doing more world building but decided to simplify it to something short and sweet.

I hope you enjoyed this cheesy little fic! Please check out the series this fic is apart of: The Kamino Files

Commander Colt was probably wholly unnecessary, but I really wanted to try and start showing him and Shaak Ti’s interactions. Will definitely write more about that dynamic duo in later fics!

Also, on a good note, 3337’s nose ended up not being broken AND he most definitely gushed about his interaction with High General Ti to his batchmates when he got back from medical.