Propaganda I will never fall for:
1. Anakin didnât care for the clones and was callous with their lives;
2. The clones not just from the 501st but other battalions also hated him for it,
3. He was an incompetent selfish General.
Meanwhile Anakin and the Clones:
âOh, these men. He loved them. âIt means weâre going in hot and wild, no plan but this: blast those kriffing Sep ships out of my sky.â Fireball grinned with ear-to-ear ferocity. âItâll be our pleasure, General.â The rest of Gold Squadron was listening, their focused attention and absolute belief in him as warm and as reassuring as his motherâs hand on his back.
Under his careless confidence, she sensed a hint of that unhealed grief. The loss of greenies Vere and Ince during the Jan-Fathal mission ⌠the loss of other Torrent Company clones since then ⌠his pain was like a kiplin-burr, burrowed deep in his flesh. Anakin had a bad habit of nursing those wounds, and no matter what she said, tactfully, no matter what Master Kenobi said without any tact at all, nothing made a difference. He hurt for them, and always would.
He was so proud of themâand at the same time so afraid. The brutal reality of combat meant the odds were they wouldnât all come home. They knew it, too, but no one would read that in their facesâfaces that were at first glance, to the uncaring observer, identical. But he knew them as individuals, and he loved them for themselves. He could list each manâs scars, recite each manâs quirks, describe each manâs idiosyncratic hair. Close-helmeted, in full body armor, he knew every one of them by his walk. Blindfold me and Iâll tell you who laughed.
Iâm so lucky to have them. Please, donât let me let them down.
Wingnutâs fighter was struggling, pitching; its starboard stabilizer shot, his R4 unit a smoking ruinâand the droids were gainingâgainingâ No. No. Not Wingnut. He only joined us a month ago. Grimly determined, he plunged his own fighter into the vulturesâ path
âAnd Ahsoka âŚâ He felt his heart thud. âTell Rexâtell all of themâthat anything less than a full recovery is unacceptable. Tell Rex Iââ He had to stop. Obi-Wan was in earshot, and they were not supposed to care so much. But Ahsoka cared too much, too. She didnât need to hear the words. âI will. Donât worry.â
âIâm not,â he said tightly. âIâm afraid Anakin isââ With an effort he stopped himself. Whatever irritation he might be feeling with his high-handed former Padawan, it wasnât appropriate to vent it at the admiral. Yularen was looking at him closely, an odd and unexpected sympathy in his deep-set eyes. âHeâs upset about his lost pilots,â the admiral observed. Only a fool forgot he was a smart, perceptive man.
âI thinkââ Anakin kicked his heel against the polished marble floor. âI think I hate it when I canât stop my men from getting hurt. From dying. I thinkââ âWhat?â he prompted, when Anakin didnât continue. âNever mind. It doesnât matter.â âIt matters, Anakin,â he said gently. âWhat you think matters.â Anakin flicked him a look. âYouâll just lecture me about attachment. Again.â Careful, careful. Heâs not your Padawan anymore. âItâs true,â he said, after a moment, âthat I sometimes wish you were more ⌠moderate ⌠in your feelings. But itâs also true that your men follow you with such enthusiasm and loyalty because they know how deeply you care.â
When they didnât think she was listening, they referred to Rex and Coric and the others as units. Units. They werenât units, they were men, living breathing laughing hurting brave and reckless men, who would lay down their lives for her and for one another without ever once stopping to think first and she loved them for that. So did Anakin. And Master Kenobi, well, he respected them. But the Kaminoans? No love. Not even respect. Just pride.
âIâve seen Rex and Sergeant Coric. Theyâre not awake yet, but they look okay.â The Padawan winced. âSort of. And I got to visit with some of the other troops, too. Nala Shan says everyone whoâs going to die has died, soâthatâs good news.â Heedless of his audience, Anakin covered his face with his left handâhis organic handâjust for a moment. Then he let it drop. His eyes were bright. âThatâs great news, Ahsoka.â
- Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth by Karen Miller
The clone pilots were fully engaged, looping through a dogfight so tight that their ion trails looked like a glowing ball of string. âOddballâs in trouble. Iâm going to help him out.â âDonât. Heâs doing his job. We need to do ours.â âMaster, theyâre getting eaten alive overââ âEvery one of them would gladly trade his life for Palpatineâs. Will you trade Palpatineâs life for theirs?â âNoâno, of course not, butââ âAnakin, I understand: you want to save everyone. You always do. But you canât.â Anakinâs voice went tight. âDonât remind me.â âHead for the command ship.â Without waiting for a reply, Obi-Wan targeted the command cruiser
- Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover
Not only did Anakin care deeply for them, it was common knowledge that he did. Obi Wan knew it, Yularen knew it, Ahsoka knew it, the Clones knew it most of all.
Itâs almost like wanting to help and save as many people as he could and loving so ardently it literally hurt him is a crucial aspect of his character
