Taking heavy blaster cannon fire, Mynock peaks around the barrier to view the objective. Full of zeal he turns toward Doc saying " Lets charge the citadel! " energetically eager to set a record. As the barrier safeguards the pair against more intense blaster fire, he continues " Too many clankers over running us. I'll dash first! ". Courageously, CT-6180 sets his arm on top of the barrier and leaps over dashing to the base of the citadel as a series of bolts narrowly miss. Arriving, Mynock points his DC-15 towards the top of the fortress and fires the under-barrel grapnel attachment. Successful, a durasteel hook secures into the top surface of the citadel and begins to propel CT-6180 upward. Ascending as the motor of the spool rapidly spins the synthrope to the top, Mynock glances at the battlefield path it took to arrive at this moment.

Doc moves up to the base of the tower and aims the ascension cable towards the top. He fires the under-barrel attachment...only to see nothing happen at all.

"Blast, cable misfire," he would say on the comms. "Rest of you guys, get up the steps, I'll be suppressing those clankers, then."

Doc starts firing at the droids to keep their aim off while the rest of the team goes up the tower.

"Forward!!" Gunslinger leads the charge, but the autoturrets take him down, with successive hits to his left shoulder. Get up.. Gotta keep moving..

Reaching the base, he awkwardly manages to set his ascension rig, and is grateful to let it start reeling him up.

"Slugger! Grab Doc & bring him up!"

Above, Mynock is nearing the top. "First up, get that flag!" We might actually do this..

"On it!" Slugger would shout in response to his command, slinging his Cannon on his back he dashed to Doc's position, the only way he was getting both of them up was to climb the tower. "Come on Doc, we leave you behind we fail, you're going up that tower with me!" Slugger grabbed his brother and moved him toward a side of the wall where the two turrets couldn't shoot and the horribly inaccurate Clankers would likely have trouble hitting them. " I'll Climb, You give me cover fire and be careful you don't scratch Martha!" Slugger climbed the tower with ease even with Doc and Martha riding on his back.

Athletics Check (Slugger Climbs) : 3eP+1eB+2eD 2 successes, 2 advantage

"I hope they get up there quickly, I'm not going to last long out here," Anler mutters to himself as he finds more droids converging on his flank. Turning slightly to keep as many droids as possible in vaguely the same direction he decides to try to finish off the B1s closest to him quickly.

He is forced to block incoming fire from the flanking droids as he maneuvers, but then manages to down the two remaining droids with a quick swing, followed by a reverse strike into the torso of the second droid. Both of them fizzle and fall to the ground, to his relief.

With his focus on the droids he's fighting he nearly misses his chance to react to the droids on his flank opening fire. He notices at the last possible minute, too late to try to block the shots with his weapon. He is forced to throw himself to the ground in a rather undignified manner, rolling on the ground as the blasts from the droids pepper the floor as he rolls away. He is able to get to his feet again and get his weapon up, ready to deflect more blasts coming his way. He shoots a glance at the clones ascending the tower, as if willing them to get to the pole to end the exercise.

CT-2112 shoots at the remaining droid from a cluster nearby, but misses.

" You don't have to Commander, I'm winning this Fight!" Slugger said over the comms as he picked up the flag, he hoped that all of the squad being this close to the tower would count as none of them being left behind. But if they did win they likely set a new time!

"Mission complete. Good job, Cyclones!"

I could barely get him to draw his blaster, and now all he wants to do is shoot?

"Spanner, get your butt up here."

"You, too, sir. We'll cover your ascent."

"Thanks for the assist, Slugger," Doc says as he gets off Slugger's back once he is at the top.

As soon as the flag has been taken, Doc looked over the virtual battlefield. For better or worse, Cyclone Squad would be ready to be sent off into the battlefield. And as he looked to his squad, a feeling of worry crept up within him: there might be a time when one of them falls...never getting up again.

Doc pushed that thought aside for now and went back to his squad to celebrate the moment.

As soon as Slugger tugs the marker out of the top of the citadel tower, the light switches from red to green. A horn sounds over the room signalling the end of the test. Just as the droids begin to gather around Anler, they begin to power down slowly as the end cuts off their power. It had been close, with a some near knockouts for the troopers and their leader, but they had passed.

There would be a tense pause throughout the room for a moment before a woman's automated voice is heard over the speakers. 'Citadel test finished. Test completed. New speed record'. It looks like the squad had really proven themselves to be the soldiers the were expected to be.

As they left the arena jedi master Shaak Ti would be waiting for the clones, along with ARC trooper Alpha-17. 'Congratulations Padawan, cadets, you have passed the test' Shaak Ti would say with a small smile. ' You are now troopers in the grand army of the republic'. Shaak Ti would glance at Anler for a moment longer than the others, and perhaps there was a flicker of sadness for a just a moment.

As she speaks, Alpha-17 would step forward and pin a star shaped medal on the chest of each graduate, the prize for passing the dreaded citadel. Anler would receive one alongside his men, he was a part of the squad, well and truly now.

'Congratulations cadets! You have achieved what few can ever hope to!' the ARC trooper would declare in a commanding voice as he steps back. 'Gunslinger! You have shown great signs of leadership, courage and planning throughout your training. You are being promoted to squad sergeant'. Next he would turn to look at Doc. 'Doc, your medical proficiency and cool head has made you a vital member of the team. You are being promoted to corporal and will assist Gunslinger when needed. The rest of you! You have all excelled in your training and I can confidently say that you will be able to survive against the separatists, at least for a while'.

The rest of the day was a rush of events for the clones. They had to collect their new phase one armour from the armoury. Crisp, white and rather uncomfortable. Still, it was going to keep them alive in battle, and possible in space as well. It was more than that however, it was the symbol of the republic, the symbol of battle and victory.

Next was their weapons and equipment, and then they were ready to ship off world the next day. Their day was not finished just yet however. On the evening of this day, the battalion was preparing a great celebration. It would be the first chance for the cadets to get a taste of alcohol and to laugh and relax before a gruelling and violent campaign. Everyone in the battalion was invited including their commander. It was a fun night that many would keep as fond memories in the days to come.

The next morning many of them would be feeling rather under the weather, but they still had to wake up early. There was an inspection in the morning that the clones had to be ready for before embarking on their ship.

Who knew what was going to happen after that. All that was certain was that if the squad stuck together, they actually stood a chance of survival out in the galaxy.

In the morning after the celebrations, the clones would be subject to their usual alarm. This being Swapar bursting into the room. 'Alright you sorry states of DNA! On your feet! Now!' Any clone that was too slow to get into line would find themselves literally torn from their bunk by the giant as he continued to roar abuse and obscenities at them.

Their commander would be subject to a much more polite morning greeting, though still just s early as the others. As a ranking officer int he army he had been allowed to remain in his personal quarters as opposed to the barracks with the others. There would be a knock on the door before it slides open, revealing a clone in their phase one armour. 'Good morning commander. Mistress Shaak Ti has requested your presence at the main landing platform. She wants you present for the final briefing of the batallion'. With that the clone would leave the commander to collect his gear. The schedule had them leaving the planet this morning. Rumours were that they were heading for Velusia, a planet in the galaxies core. Apparently it will be an easy assignment, something to get the rookies feet wet with. Whether this is the case or not is another matter.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy on Corouscant, padawan Serendine had been summoned by her master to meet him in one of the many meditation rooms of the temple. She hadn't actually seen her master for a few days, and had been largely left to continue her studies in the temple with the other padawans and younglings. Since the start of the war, it had been like this more and more often. Master Windu simply was short on time, and had struggled to balance time dealing with the separatists, and teaching Akua. What he wanted had not been specified, but it was best to not keep him waiting.

Outside of the temple, for CT-8675 it was business as usual. Having been assigned to the Corouscant guard was largely seen as an honour and an indicator of skill, but it was also a relatively cushy job. He would know of the resentment many of his brother would feel about this, even if they didn't openly say it. This morning he and one of his squad mates had been assigned to a patrol of the planets lower levels. It was a simple enough assignment, very little happened on the capital. The worst they had seen in recent days was a few anti-war protesters here and there, but it always dispersed before it got violent. It was time for him to don his armour, collect his gear and prepare for patrol. Unfortunately since his posting here his explosives had been replaced with concussive rounds. The captain of the barracks had told him in no uncertain terms, 'while you're on this world, there is no way you're dragging live explosives into a civilian area. You'd cause an international incident!' Still, the grenades were very good for riot control it turned out, so there was a positive.

Master! How have you been?

The female miraluka jedi greeted her master happily. She saw Master Windu as a father like figure to her, taking care of her as she grew and trusting in her completely, like she trusted him.

Are we going on a mission together again?

As Swapar busted into the barracks shouting obscenities, CT-6180 would struggle to grasp his weaken physical state. " Karablast! What the krell is wrong with my body? Did the Seppies poison me in my sleep? " he thought. In celebration of passing the citadel test, Mynock experienced and subsequently overindulged in alcohol for his first time. Not knowing any better, the clone attempted to toast with all the passing squads within their battalion and to their time shared on Kamino. Presently, CT-6180 was suffering from another less than pleasant first experience, the hangover. Eager to put his helmet on so he can adjust the light settings, Mynock rushes to get ready for the inspection. At least with his helmet on, nobody could see how the clone truly felt.

Slugger got up easily, he was well rested he quickly put on his armor, acquired Martha and lined up. Spotting Mynock as he approached the line he slapped him on the back, " Brother, you lasted all of two drinks last night!" Slugger would laugh " Thought you would last more than that, even Doc could handle two drinks." He would playfully elbow Doc as he would enter the line.

Doc shook his head a bit as Slugger elbowed him.

"Well, gotta eat a lot and drink water. Still, didn't expect it to be that strong. Still rocking a bit of a headache."

"We can't all slug 'em back like you, but then you're a soldier with an appetite for destruction."

Gunslinger recollects, somewhat fuzzily, sharing drinks with all the newly-promoted Sergeants.. And an arm-wrestling match.. was that Law? I must've been slinging the drinks back, myself...

The squad leader grimaces, as he rolls his shoulder, and holds it in a stretch for a few seconds.

"..drink water."

"Copy that, Doc. Cyclones. Let's hydrate, and get ready to move out. We're going to be leaving all this Sunshine behind."

Swapar would continue to pulls soldiers out of their bunk till he nears Gunslinger. Turning to face him with a look of fury he would lunge for the clone, grabbing the collar of his armour and dragging him less than an inch from the sergeants face. 'Hydrate! Your miserable lot have inspection first! Have your men stand to attention, now! And if I see one of them so much as pick his nose before he is in line, I will personally guarantee that none of you leave this sunshine today!' The way he glares at Gunslinger suggests that he knows about the nickname, and that he does not approve. With that he would shove the recently promoted sergeant against the bunk behind him as he is released. 'Come on you maggots! Weapons and armour check! I hope the only reason you were up late last night was to polish those buckets and clean those rifles, or you will truly wish those hangovers were fatal! If you think you're marching onto that ship looking like you got dragged through a hedge, you've got another thing coming'

On Coruscant, master Windu would look up from the cross legged position he was in to see his padawan enter the room. He was his ever serious self this day, shrouded in shadow as the blinds of the room were half drawn. 'Unfortunately that is not why I asked you here padawan'. He would motion for her to take the rounded seat in front of him. 'Tell me, how have your studies alone come along?'

They've been good.

Akua said as she sat down.

I've managed to use this time to do some furthur reading in the Jedi Library

With the mission over and a new record set, Anler congratulates the clones on the good result. Once he’s back with the command staff he comments on the skill displayed by his clone troopers, and how well the integration process seems to be going.

Unlike the clones, Anler doesn’t need additional equipment from the armory. He’s only faced with the bitter sweet task of packing his very merger belongings as he prepares to leave Kammino and head out to war. He finishes this task quickly before heading out to celebrate with the clones. Once at the feast, he seems a bit withdrawn, and is unwilling to taste any alcohol, unsure how the intoxicant will affect his connection to the Force. He spends the evening mingling with the troops as well as the command staff in attendance.

Anler is already up when the clone comes to wake him up, having spent the morning in meditation. He won’t tell anyone, especially not the clones, but the idea of leading the men into actual combat, where lives are lost so easily, terrifies him. It’s not so much the fear of losing friends, since like most Jedi he has gotten comfortable with the idea of the dead rejoining the Force. His fear has more to do with the possibility of failing his men and failing the Republic.

The Jedi brings his belongings in a single rugsack and heads out the door of his quarters for the last time, heading to the main landing platform.

At least Doc made sure to keep his weapons and armor clean well before the festivities started.

Switching to squad comms, he spoke, "Hope everyone's fine today. Just take it easy."

With the barracks called to attention, Swapar would begin to make his way down the line of clones. He would stop every so often to examine a weapon or their armour, and if he was displeased he would be sure to let the clone know.

'Armour not polished, fifty press ups! Belt crooked, fifty press ups!' This would continue down the line till he neared Cyclone squad. The squad did not seem to anger him, though he did pause in front of CT-2112. He would stare at the cadet, only inches from his face. 2112 knew if he moved he would regret it, but Swapar did not seem to notice anything worth shouting at.

As he continued down the line, Slugger would suddenly get a feeling like his stomach dropping into his boots. Maybe it was thanks to the celebrations, or the rush to prepare this morning, but he had forgotten to put on his utility belt. Having a problem with equipment was one thing, but missing it completely was another. The force seems to have mercy on him though.

Just as Swapar approaches Slugger, the sergeant would lunge for the soldier beside him. 'Rust on the barrel? Are you an imbecile? Clean it! Now! Get it wrong twice and you will be cleaning all your kit with your tongue!'

Eventually the inspection came to an end and the clones were dismissed, just in time to prepare for the parade and departure. They gathered with the rest of the battalion. Over five hundred clone soldiers dressed in their identical armour, carrying their packs and rifles. Major Zombie would arrive shortly after the others, dressed in his black trimmed armour to martial the soldiers into formation.

As this is happening, Anler would be separate from his men. While his men were prepared inside the huge dome, he had been summoned outside. It was a rare ocassion on the planet when the sun was actually shining. Waiting for him was Master Shaak Ti. She stood still in the centre of the platform, but she was dwarfed by the huge vessel behind her. It was this destroyer that would transport the latest batches off world. She would smile as she sees the padawan, and would give him a respectful nod in greeting. 'Padawan, I am glad to see you well. She would turn to face the dome in front of them where the clones were. 'Soon you will be leaving Kamino, and it is likely you will never return'. She would look sad for a moment as she continues to speak. 'You have done well, and given time, you will make an excellent leader to your men. But do not forget, you are a jedi before all else. You are a keeper of the peace, not a warrior, do not lost yourself to this conflict'. Finally she would turn to face Anler. 'Master Wuum would be truly proud of you Anler, and so am I. Eventually the council will replace your master, and I and confident that he will see the potential in you that Master Wuum did. May the force the with you, truly'.

As she finishes speaking, the final preparations for the clones were made. With their helmets tucked under their arms they marches forwards in perfect unity onto the platform with Zombie and the other ranking officers at the head of the battalion. The order to halt would be called, and the clones would stop just short of their commander and Shaak Ti.

As the clones waited in silence, Shaak Ti would turn to face the men. 'Today is your graduation. From here you ship out to fight against the Separatists, and restore peace to the Republic. Congratulations, you are no longer cadets, you are troopers. May for the force be with you'.

'Attention!' Zombie would shout as he turns to face is men. 'Helmets on!' As the clones pull on their helmets, there is a feeling of unity among them. In that moment, they become something more, greater than any one person. They are the grand army of the Repubic.

The batallion march onto the star destroyer, and when they are joined by they commander, the mighty vessel slowly pulls away from the planets surface, leaving behind the clones home world. Anler and the other officers were given a quick briefing by Zombie about their current orders. It seems that the battalion is heading to Alderaan to support the refugee relief effort they were heading. A relatively simple task for the rookies to cut their teeth on. The journey would take approximately two weeks of hyperspace travel, but the Venator-Class Star Destroyer was well equipment for the journey. The clones would be busy with drills and maintenance, though tye would have plenty of time to themselves as well. It was a chance for the clones to bond as a unit, as well as time for their commander to get to know his men better.

On Corouscant, Master Windu would nod as he listens to his padawans response. 'That is good to hear' he would say in a deep voice. 'You are a talented lightsaber user, but you must remember there are many other aspects of the jedi order than combat alone'. He would pause for a moment before explaining why he had summoned her here. 'You are to join a unit of the Corouscant guard on their patrols over the next two weeks. Your learning cannot be completed without leaving the temple, and this will give you an opportunity to meet the people of the Republic. You will find that there are many opposed to the war, and to the jedi themselves, but you must learn to face such adversity, and do so without using your weapon'.

Hearing this, Akua could not help but squirm abit in excitement.

I see Master. When will I be leaving?

As much as CT-8675 loved using his explosives.. He agreed with the barracks captain and readied his gear, albeit a little distracted thinking about how fun it would be to blow something up.

"Ready for another stroll along the lower quarters?" 8675 said to his partner. Hinting that it was going to be another easy day here on Coruscant.

"Maybe this time we'll get to use these bad boys." He says laughingly as he brandishes his weapon.

Doc checked his equipment countless times, just to make sure it would work. The medical backpack he was assigned was also checked over countless times. The fact that it had the red cross on it reminded Doc what he was about to do: save as many lives as he could.

Gunslinger spends much of his time at the range, and working through simulations, focusing primarily on close quarter combat drills with his pistols. To mix it up a bit, given the long journey, he even tries out a sniper rifle at the sharpshooter range. While he demonstrates some natural ability, it is something new for the trooper. Maybe someday..? Or am I just overcompensating for a newly-manifested rifle envy..?

While the specialists are kitting themselves out, he manages to upgrade his optics, attaching an electronocular flipdown visor to the outside of his helm.

He organizes squad drills, participates in maneuvers with the other squads.. but otherwise, enjoys the camaraderie of the slightly more relaxed atmosphere, outside of training. The troopers especially appreciate this time together, as they know they will be heading into combat with their band of brothers very soon.