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writingforfun0714 · 5 months ago

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Hey everyone,

So sorry for being gone so long. I’m pretty busy at work now. I wanna say thank you to everyone who voted in the poll. Part of the reason this chapter took so long was because I was working on 2 fics at once.

Here is Chapter 4 of my Bad Batch fic Our Love

Warnings: TW childhood O66 trauma (some O66 trauma in general), LONG (sorry I really couldn’t cut it down more than I already have), OC jedi characters, POV changes

Bad Batch Our Love

Chapter 4–Guns For Hire

Words: 11,556

3rd POV

The Havoc Marauder drops out of Hyperspace, facing a large beige planet.

“We are on approach to Saleukami,” Tech announces. Hunter’s holding Maisy while the two older kids walk into the cockpit. Omega stares out the window to watch the planet slowly grow in size as they approach. Hunter shifts Maisy to his left arm and walks into the cockpit with Wrecker following. The Youngling turns her head from tucked into Hunter’s neck to looking out the window curiously at the approaching planet.

“So Rex knew this guy from the war?” Wrecker asks.

“He did not say,” Tech answers, “just that it’s someone he trusts.”

“If Rex trusts him, so do I,” Hunter says.

Tech flies the ship through the planet’s atmosphere and eventually drops below the cloud line. A sudden beeping get’s Tech’s attention.

“We’re running low on fuel,” the pilot alerts. Wrecker turns and finds the case the squad keeps their credits in and opens it to find a few credits.

“Uuhhh…you think we’d have enough to refuel with this?” Wrecker asks, showing Hunter the scarce amount of money they have. The sergeant sighs.

“Let’s worry about that after we meet Rex’s contact,” Hunter says.

Tech flies over fields and jagged mountains before spotting farmland in the distance. He lands the ship out of the way.

“Why did we land so far away? The home is way over there-“ Omega asks.

“No need to draw attention to Rex’s contact. He’s obviously out here to hide,” Tech explains as he powers the ship down.

“C’mon, let’s get going,” Hunter says. The others nod. Wrecker reaches out to Wyyntrr and the albino Wookiee padawan takes the demolitions expert’s hand.

Tech opens the bay door and walks out first. Hunter follows and sets Maisy down. The girl blinks at the dry dirt that moves with each of her steps. Being from Coruscant, Maisy’s never seen nature. Even Kamino amazed her with the endless amount of water. Omega walks out and squints as her eyes adjust. She sees Maisy messing with the dirt and pushes her own foot into it, making small dust clouds and a light trail in the ground. The older girl giggles before picking some dirt up with her hand.

“What is this?” Omega asks curiously, letting the dirt sift through her fingers.

“That would be dirt,” Tech answers factually.

“It’s amazing!” Omega exclaims. Because he’s blind, Wyyntrr allows himself to really feel how loose the dry dirt is, how it feels almost powdery. He smells it. He does try to taste it and ends up roaring a bit and rubbing his tongue with his hands.

“Wai-“ Wrecker tries to tell the Wookiee but it’s too late so he grabs his canteen and offers it to the Padawan, who takes a drink to get the taste out of his mouth.

“C’mon, let’s get going. We’re about 2 klicks away,” Hunter says, getting the kids’ attention.

Omega’s POV

Hunter leads the way as Tech follows close behind and us behind him with Wrecker bringing up the rear. I’m holding Maisy’s hand and since she’s walking between me and the Wookiee, she’s also holding his hand. I let a small smile appear on my lips as I look fondly at the 2 Jedi. Despite having a Jedi be in charge of the clone army, I never got to know the Jedi, not really. I was kept in Nala Se’s private research lab. Over the years I got to know who the clones were and I learned that they all knew the Jedi because the clones served with them. The only ones that didn’t know the Jedi’s were the clones stationed on Kamino either as security or maintenance clones, but even then, they would occasionally see Master Shaak Ti. That was the only Jedi I knew of until…well until that fateful moment on Kamino when I met Master Jaeruho and Maisy.

The two are quiet and I don’t blame them, after what’s happened. Being Nala Se’s medical assistant I saw my fair share of blood and bone due to various injuries but I’ve also seen how the War has affected the clones’ minds. How the horrors of war have tormented them during the nights. I tried to help them. Nala Se would tell me they weren’t worth it and would be placed on maintenance duty. When I asked why, she would say they were ‘mentally deficient for war’. I can only imagine how Wyyntrr and Maisy are handling seeing such horrors and devastation.

As we walk, I take note of everything, asking an occasional ‘what’s that?’. Wyyntrr sniffs the air and turns his head at the various sounds of wildlife while Maisy trudges along, her head bowed so she’s looking at the ground. She’s sad but…but also…something else. Distant perhaps? No…that’s not the word. Empty. That’s it. An empty sadness. I notice as we walk that I practically pull the Youngling along and I realize she’s only moving because of me…because of us. If we weren’t here-

I suddenly bump into Tech, interrupting my thoughts and I blink.

“Omega-are you ok?” He asks. Wyyntrr looks in my direction, but not Maisy. I nod at the pilot.

“Y-yeah I’m ok, sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going-” I assure him and he nods.

“It’s alright,” Tech says before motioning to keep up and follow.

After almost an hour, we come to a field. The grasses are taller than us, taller than Wrecker even.

“Hunter, if Rex’s contact turns us away-“ Tech tries.

“Tech not now-“ Hunter growls slightly at the pilot. I keep my eyes on the Youngling, but don’t say anything. At least, not yet.

That’s when Hunter suddenly stops and kneels down. Wyyntrr tugs on my arm to get my attention.

“Rrr-rggh-rrgh?” Wyyntrr asks and I frown. I don’t know what he’s saying and when I turn to look at Maisy for an answer like I normally do, I notice she doesn’t seem to even be paying attention. She’s still got that sad, empty look on her face.

“Hunter is tracking,” Tech explains, seemingly catching onto our conversation.

“Each of us have a special enhanced skill. Hunter can sense electromagnetic frequencies, Wrecker is adaptive and strong. I have my exceptional mind and Crosshair has his sharpshooting skills,” Tech explains and I smile. I was there with Nala Se when she created the 4 of them, known then as Experimental Unit 99. I was young, 4 or 5 years old or so and they stayed in the decanting tubes longer than most clones do. I was fascinated by them because they weren’t like the other clones…like me. Unfortunately Nala Se often kept me secluded and isolated away from everyone but herself.

“We’re almost there,” Hunter assures us.

We hear the place before we see it. As we come over a hill, we see a house with animals, kids like us, and two people with them. Before we can do anything, I see the pink one aim a rifle right at us!

“Hunter!-“ I warn but he seems to have caught on when I did because he reaches up and takes off his helmet. The others follow suit and I see the one holding the rifle, put the weapon down.

3rd POV

As Clone Force 99 reaches the hill, the family outside in their front yard spots the group of soldiers. The matriarch of the family, a pink female Twi’lek grabs her rifle and aims to look through the scope, never turning the safety off. She spots armored soldiers but despite the modifications, she recognizes it as clone armor.

“There’s a group of clone soldiers approaching,” she warns.

“Children, inside,” she orders. Without arguing, the two young children, one about Omega and Wyyntrr’s age, and the sibling a few years younger, race inside. The mother watches the approaching soldiers take off their helmets through the scope on her rifle. As the group approaches, she spots children with them! Her eyes widen and she gasps quietly.

“There are children with them,” she alerts and the man raises an eyebrow. Unsual for clones.

“How many?” Her husband asks.

“2…no…3,” she answers before setting her rifle down and her husband nods. Being a clone as well, he knows to stay on guard until he can be sure of his brothers’ intentions.

“Suu-go inside with the children-“ he tells his wife, Suu. The Twi’lek shakes her head, her lekku swishing back and forth lightly.

“No-I’m staying with you Cut. I’m the better shot,” she argues and the man named Cut smirks, nodding.

Clone Force 99 gets close enough that they can make eye contact with Suu and her clone husband, Cut. Hunter motions for the group to stop a good 100 feet away.

“Greetings,” Hunter announces. Cut stands at the ready.

“We’ve come a long way to find you-“ Hunter explains.

“Do you know CT—7567 Captain Rex?” Hunter asks and both husband and wife blink in surprise. The couple exchange a look before Suu nods. Cut returns the gesture and turns back to CF99.

“Approach,” Cut says and the group makes their way up to the home and where the couple who own it stand.

Once they’re close enough, they can get a proper look at each other. Cut sees that despite the differences between Hunter, Wrecker and Tech, they are clones, brothers. Hunter realizes that even though he’s in civilian clothes, the man standing with the pink Twi’lek is a clone.

“Who are you?” Tech asks.

“I could ask you boys the same thing, being on my land,” Cut answers, motioning around.

“What’s a reg doin’ all the way out here?” Wrecker asks. Cut eyes Wrecker at the insulting nickname.

“Who’re you callin’ a ‘reg’? The name’s Cut Lawquane. This is my wife, Suu,” he introduces and CF99 nods at her.

“You know Rex?” Cut asks and Hunter nods.

“He told us to find you because he said you could help us,” Hunter says and puts his right hand on Omega’s shoulder and his left hand on Wyynntrr’s shoulder. Cut looks at the kids. Omega smiles and waves with her free hand, since she’s still holding onto Maisy’s hand. He looks at all of them.

“If you mention Rex, you must have a good reason for being here. C’mon, we can talk inside,” Cut says as Suu opens the door and walks in.

The group follows the couple inside and Cut shuts the door behind them. The couple’s own children are hiding in the kitchen area unseen by the others.

“Who are you?” Cut asks.

“Clone Force 99. Sergeant Hunter and..half my team. Tech, our pilot and Wrecker, the weapons expert,” Hunter introduces. Cut nods and turns to the kids.

“And who are they?” Cut asks, looking at the 3 children with the soldiers.

“This is Omega…she’s a clone like us,” Hunter says, patting the blonde girl’s shoulder. Cut blinks in shock but doesn’t question it. After all the Kaminoans often did what they wanted regarding cloning. Cut looks over at the blind albino Wookiee and the Youngling and sees their beige colored robes. Cut’s eyes widen.

“A-Are they-?” Cut begins to ask.

“Jedi,” Hunter confirms.

“H-How-..How are they alive? Why do you have Jedi kids?” Cut asks all at once.

“Why are you here?” Suu asks, interrupting Cut. Hunter, Tech and Wrecker exchange a look.

“Rex said you could help us. Help us hide from the Empire..and…help us with them,” Hunter answers, glancing at the 3 children he managed to find. Suu sighs and nods once, knowing the clone soldiers are just trying to do what’s right.

“Are you hungry? We were just about to start dinner-“ Suu offers. Wrecker smiles and stands, ready to start helping.

“We don’t wanna impose-“ Hunter says, giving Wrecker a look.

“We don’t turn guests away, do we kids?” Cut announces and that’s when his 2 children walk in, revealing themselves. Omega’s eyes widen and Wyyntrr turns his head towards the sounds of soft footsteps.

“Who are you?” The boy asks as his older sister puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Jekk—Shaeeah, these are our guests. Clone Force 99,” Cut explains before turning to the Batch.

“These are our kids, Shaeeah and Jekk,” Cut introduces. Wrecker smiles at the kids. The two half-Twi’lek siblings spot the 3 kids with the group.

“Woah-who’re you? We never see kids around here,” Shaeeah says.

“Omega,” the girl introduces herself.

“This is our brother Wyyntrr and our younger sister Maisy,” Omega continues.

“Come with us,” Shaeeah says, hurrying over to the kids and grabbing Omega’s hand. The female clone looks over at Hunter, who nods in approval.

“C’mon,” Omega says and Wyyntrr nods. When Maisy makes no attempt to move, Omega gently puts a hand on her shoulder and guides the Youngling along. Shaeeah and Jekk lead the way up the stairs leaving the adults to talk.

Tech’s POV

I watch our kids follow the two siblings upstairs before turning back to see Cut looking at us seriously.

“So, you boys know Rex, but he’s not with you?” Cut asks.

“He’s with one of our squad mates back on Coruscant,” Hunter explains.

“Coruscant? Why in stars name is he there?” Cut asks, more caught off guard than anything.

“He’s looking for one of the regs that served with him,” I explain. Cut gives me a look of disdain.

“The hell is a ‘reg’?” He asks.

“A regular clone, not like us,” I explain. Cut chuckles humorlessly.

“I got news for ya buddy. It doesn’t matter how special you think you are. You’re just like me to the Jedi, to those Kaminoan long-necked bastards, to this new ‘Galactic Empire’, to everyone else,” Cut says.

“We didn’t exactly fit in on Kamino,” I argue back.

“That’s good,” Cut says.

“It is?” Wrecker asks and he nods.

“You wanna put being soldiers behind you if you wanna have those kids with you,” Cut explains.

“That’s the thing,” Hunter says, interrupting.

“We think that they deserve to have a normal childhood but if we’re all they’ve got, then we have to be what they need,” Hunter explains.

“We tried going to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, that’s when our squad member and Rex split from us. We saw no sign of any Jedi besides Padawan Wyyntrr,” I add.

“We couldn’t just leave a kid there in all that destruction and death. Plus we’d already had Maisy and Omega with us,” Hunter says.

“What’s one more if they need help,” Wrecker agrees. Cut nods.

“You’re good men, but raising kids is different than fighting clankers. What exactly is your plan?” Cut asks and I look to Hunter, unsure of that answer myself.

“We have to go back for our sniper. He…he was separated from us because of his inhibitor chip,” Hunter explains and I nod in agreement. We don’t leave our own behind. It’s rule 1.

“But we need a safe place to hold up for the kids before we head back to Kamino,” I add and Cut nods.

“Hmph, well I would recommend settling here but…things are different now that the Empire has formed. Clone troopers show up in town almost every day now,” Cut warns.

“It’s getting late, we should get the kids settled for bed,” Suu says and her husband nods. I hadn’t paid close attention but I look at my datapad and see it’s nearly midnight. I’m not used to accommodating children so when Cut and Suu look to us, silently asking who will come help with the kids, I look instantly to Hunter and Wrecker.

It’s not that I do not like children, I am just…unused to them. I do not like interacting with most outside of my squad anyways. But I would never have done what Crosshair did on Kaller. No…no it wasn’t Crosshair. It couldn’t have been. I must believe he has been manipulated by the inhibitor chip…by the Kaminoans. Out of all of them, Nala Se had the most interaction with us as cadets. I hated her. I hated her calm tone that lied every time she said ‘it will be alright’. I hated how she watched us with her cold, unfeeling eyes. We weren’t children or even people to her. We were objects, military property. But she always instilled in us that we were not like the regs. The other clones were disposable. We were special. But she still treated us the same way as she did the other clones. Cut’s words from earlier ring in my mind. It doesn’t matter how special you think you are, you’re a clone like me…to everyone else.

Meanwhile…

3rd POV

Crosshair feels like he’s been waiting an eternity for Cody to return. The sniper’s pain is matched by the fear of whatever this is being permanent. Crosshair’s eyes snap open when he hears the door open. He turns his head to look and he sighs with relief when he sees Cody.

“I got the scanner,” Cody confirms, limping inside since his leg is still injured. Crosshair tries sitting up, but he winces in pain and Cody notices.

“Hey-hey easy-easy, don’t strain yourself-“ Cody says as he pushes Crosshair back down gently.

The sniper opens his eyes and sees the commander looking at him with concern.

“You…you came back for me,” Crosshair says weakly. Cody smirks.

“O’course I did. I said I’d come back for…you,” Cody’s words trail off when he sees tears form in the corners of Crosshair’s eyes and spill out down his cheeks.

“Crosshair? Is it the pain?” Cody asks, clearly concerned.

“He left me,” Crosshair rasps out, barely above a whisper.

“Who?” Cody asks.

“Hunter…the others…they left me on Kamino,” Crosshair says, his hand coming up to rub his temple.

Cody frowns. That’s not like Hunter. Not like any of CF99. There had to be more to it than that but Cody knows not to question or push the topic right now.

“Ok, I need you to stay still,” Cody instructs and Crosshair makes a noise of understanding before laying motionless on the worn mattress. Cody turns the scanner on and points it at the sniper. A blue light coats Crosshair’s head and the scanner makes a whirring noise. After a moment passes, the device beeps twice and the light shuts off.

“Hmm, I’m not detecting any sort of mechanical chip of any kind…wait…there appears to be severe scarring on your cerebellum and basal ganglia. It looks like nerve damage caused by electrical pulses so harsh it altered your brain chemistry,” Cody explains. Crosshair’s eyes widen.

“I…I remember Nala Se taking me…She…tested on me. She said she took out the inhibitor chip to test a new procedure,” the sniper remembers. Cody frowns angrily. He hated the Kaminoans as much as any other clone, but the commander formed a bond with Clone Force 99 and thought of them the same way he thought of the 212th and even General Kenobi. He knew CF99 didn’t feel the same way about the other clones, stars knows why, but Cody knew they would eventually see the truth and return for Crosshair.

“Uh oh,” Cody says.

“What?” Crosshair can’t help but growl frustratedly.

“I..I think the damage is permanent,” Cody admits and at first, Crosshair doesn’t say anything. After a pause, Crosshair sighs.

“There are transcranial magnetic stimulation therapies that might help and there are some numbing bacta patches you can try,” Cody reads off the scanner, but Crosshair’s not even paying attention to the 212th commander. Ever since Kaller, Crosshair was angry with Hunter, with the sergeant’s choices. But leaving the sniper behind on Kamino was the last straw.

“Commander?” Crosshair asks and Cody looks at him.

“If I don’t return with Clone Force 99, would I be reassigned?” The sniper asks.

“What? I…I suppose if you wanted, unless you want to be stuck with me,” Cody smirks but turns serious rather quickly.

“Why do you ask?” Cody asks. Cody knew all the members of the Bad Batch pretty well and out of everyone Crosshair was the most severe and unyielding, until you got to know him, that is. Then Crosshair is a playful joker full of sarcasm with a slight competitive streak, but he hardly ever really opened up to reveal his true thoughts and feelings.

“I think our paths have changed. I felt it on Kaller when Order 66 went out,” Crosshair explains and Cody’s expression darkens slightly. Being on Utapau with General Kenobi, Cody felt a loss of control he’d never experienced before. The marshal commander wasn’t himself. Ever since Utapau, Cody’s felt a sort of guilt that eats away at him.

“Do you…do you regret what happened?” Cody asks carefully. Crosshair turns his head gently to look at Cody in the eye.

“I followed orders and it feels like I’ve been punished for it ever since. Hunter and the others betrayed me. Nala Se tortured me and my new ‘boss’ hates clones. But not following orders was worse,” Crosshair explains, motioning to his head, indicating the pain.

“So…what’s your plan now? You still angry with Hunter?” Cody asks.

“I was, back on Kamino,” Crosshair admits

“You’re not now?”

“I’m upset with him…disappointed in him…but I’m not angry anymore. After I get this pain under control, I have to find Hunter,” Crosshair explains.

“Try and get some rest. I’ll reach out and see if I can find out anything about Clone Force 99,” Cody says.

“Thanks Commander,” the sniper replies quietly and Cody smiles slightly at Crosshair, glad that Crosshair knows he can trust someone outside of his squad.

Back on Kamino…

3rd POV

Nala Se walks through the sterile white halls, passing clone troopers and cadets, not really paying attention to any of them. Her mind is only on Omega and the Jedi Youngling. She couldn’t confirm it yet but the Kaminoan chief scientist was almost certain that Omega met the Jedi during Order 66.

The Kaminoan Prime Minister, Lama Su, gave Nala Se ownership of Master Jaeruho’s lightsaber since he was killed, however it does not power on and she cannot figure out how to open it, figuring the weapon to be useless (which it is since Youngling Maisy has the kyber crystal that was inside).

Nala Se makes her way to Lama Su’s office and presses the entry button on the console pad. The door beeps before opening with a quiet whooshing sound.

“Prime Minister,” Nala Se addresses.

“Yes Mistress Se?”

“I would like to request permission to retrieve Omega,” Nala Se says. At first Lama Su doesn’t say anything, pondering the scientists’ request.

“You have an unnecessary attachment to the young clone,” Lama Su says.

“Omega…is important for my cloning research,” Nala Se explains but Lama Su gives her a knowing look. He didn’t miss how Nala Se dressed Omega to look like her, how he kept her secluded from the other clones.

“She is an unaltered genetic copy of the donor, Jango Fett. Since Alpha’s disappearance, Omega is our last chance to acquire pure DNA since all other specimens have degraded,” Nala Se finishes.

“Hmm…make sure the girl is unharmed when you have her returned. Once you have extracted what you need, kill her…and the Jedi with her,” Lama Su adds. Nala Se’s bulbous eyes widen slightly, unaware that the Prime Minister knew of the Youngling’s existence.

“Do you understand?” He asks and Nala Se nods. As the chief scientist turns to walk out, she spots a datapad on the Prime Minister’s desk and sees it’s security camera footage of Clone Force 99 with Omega and the Jedi Youngling escaping CT-9904 in a hangar.

Nala Se heads back to her private laboratory before turning on her datapad. She turns on the holo-recording and finds the contact information she had in mind when first making the request to Lama Su. It powers on, bathing the female Kaminoan in a blue light. The hologram beeps to life to reveal the helmeted figure of a female.

“I have an assignment for you,” Nala Se says.

“Send the information and half the payment up front,” the figure’s distorted voice replies. Nala Se nods and searches for a private tracking beacon on her datapad. Only one channel comes up and she clicks on it. Sector J-19. The Kaminoan scientist sends the information and half the payment to her mysterious contact.

“You must retrieve and deliver the target alive and unharmed,” Nala Se instructs.

“Do whatever you must to bring her back,” Nala Se says of Omega.

“Understood,” the bounty hunter replies and the transmission ends. The sound of a floating medical droid approaches.

“Mistress Se, I have completed all routine tasks-“ the droid, AZI says. Unbeknownst to Nala Se, Lama Su also reaches out to a contact of his own, offering a substantial reward. Knowing about Nala Se’s relationship with Omega, the Prime Minister bugged the medical droid and told him to befriend the young female clone so he could get close to Nala Se.

“Go to your power station and recharge. I will power you on when I need you,” the Kaminoan head scientist instructs and the medic droid floats out obediently.

Meanwhile, on Saleukami…

3rd POV

The sun crests over the horizon signaling daybreak. Almost all of the kids are all asleep in the upstairs loft with bedding laid all about the floor. The only one awake is Youngling Maisy. The slight dark half circles under her eyes seem prominent now. She can still feel the intense sadness of everything from Master Jaeruho’s death to finding Padawan Wyyntrr in the destroyed Jedi Temple. Every time she closes her eyes she’s back on Kamino with Master Jaeruho. She doesn’t know what’s going on and before she knows it she’s with Omega because her master was killed. Her eyes fill with tears at the thought of Master Jaeruho. The only thing Maisy has of him is his kyber crystal.

Maisy hears her laughter along with Jaeruho’s light chuckle in her head, but it’s so loud, it could be real.

“Why do we have to go to Kamino Master? I wanna stay at the Temple,” Maisy hears her own voice.

“It’s important to get to know the clones. They are our greatest allies, even more so than the Senate. They are brave, strong and above all, loyal,” Jaeruho’s voice echoes in the Youngling’s mind. She didn’t realize how much she missed hearing Jaeruho’s voice. Maisy was so focused on Jaeruho’s voice that she misses the warm tears spilling down her cheeks. The fear of being alone starts to return.

Because fear is such a powerful emotion, Wyyntrr can actually feel Maisy in his sleep. He wakes up and hears quiet sniffling that turns into whimpering.

“Maisy?” He asks as quiet as he can. The Youngling gasps and turns to see Wyyntrr, sitting up, looking in her direction, worry all over his face.

“Are you ok?” Wyyntrr asks and at first the Youngling doesn’t reply. Sensing the conflict and fear in the little girl, Wyyntrr moves and hurries over to her. Once he places a pale pink hand on the Youngling’s shoulders, she starts to cry.

“I hear him…I hear him so clearly. It’s him, I promise-“ the Youngling insists, clinging to the blind albino Wookiee. He picks the little girl up a bit so he can hold her properly.

“I…I know. I believe you,” Wyyntrr says, running his fingers through the little girl’s wild, thick, shaggy hair.

“You…you do?” Maisy sniffs, looking up at Wyyntrr as she wipes the tears out of her eye. The albino Wookiee nods hesitantly.

“My master…I hear her too, in my dreams,” Wyytrr explains. The two Jedi children sit together. Maisy cries into his chest, gripping his white fur tightly but not pulling or hurting the blind Wookiee.

Omega’s POV

I stir from a dreamless sleep, hearing soft whimpering and sniffling. I yawn and blink my eyes open. Beams of light shine through the cloth covering the window, lighting up the room. I look around and spot Wyyntrr and Maisy sitting on the floor. The Wookiee is holding the little girl as she cries and I’m suddenly awake and alert. I crawl along the floor almost silently since the Twi’lek siblings are still sleeping. As I get within arms length, I see Wyyntrr turn his head towards me.

“Should I get Hunter?” I ask quietly. Wyyntrr looks down at Maisy and I see the little girl’s grip tighten slightly. The white Wookiee turns back to me and shakes his head silently.

“Are you sure?” I ask and he nods confidently. I’m unsure of what to do when I see Wyyntrr shift and move over slightly, but enough to make room for me. I move and sit with them. Wyyntrr and I lean against each other so I can wrap my arm around his side and use the other to rub soothing circles on Maisy’s back.

After Maisy manages to calm down, Shaeeah and Jekk also wake up and I suggest going downstairs. I follow Shaeeah and Jekk down the stairs with Maisy next to me and Wyyntrr behind us. He holds onto the rail for support but otherwise has no trouble.

Once we’re downstairs, I see the adults are already awake and conversing.

“Good morning you guys. Did you sleep ok?” Cut greets happily. Before me or Wyyntrr can answer, Maisy suddenly takes a step towards them.

“Yes, thank you,” she insists, giving the nice couple a respectful bow of thankfulness. I see that Cut and Suu seem to take Maisy at her word but I do see Hunter inspect the little girl’s face.

“We have breakfast ready,” Suu says and motions for us to sit at the table. I take a seat between Hunter and Maisy while Wyyntrr takes the Youngling’s other side, next to Wrecker and the Lawquane siblings.

3rd POV

As Suu and Cut serve the table, Hunter gets the group’s attention.

“I’ve decided to go into town so we can refuel and resupply but then we have to leave,” the sergeant says.

“Leave? And go where?” Omega asks as Suu places a bowl of sliced fruit in front of her. The young female clone nods her thanks before happily digging in.

“We’ll…figure it out. We need to hide…but also earn credits,” Hunter answers slowly. Wyyntrr roars with concern and Tech puts his goggles down to translate.

“Echo and Rex have our comm channel. They’ll reach out once they find the…trooper they’re looking for,” Tech explains and earns a small nod from Cut at the omission of the derogatory nickname ‘reg’. Suu gently touches Wyyntrr’s shoulder to get his attention and he glances in her direction.

“Here, if you don’t like it we have meat and bread-“ Suu says. Wyyntrr shakes his head and happily digs into the food, earning a smile from the matriarch.

Hunter watches the kids eat. Wyyntrr eats everything with gusto and licks his bowl clean, ignoring his utensils altogether. Omega uses her fork to take out the pieces she does not like but otherwise eats happily. That’s when he looks at Maisy. She’s taking multiple bites off the same chunk of fruit and eating slowly. Hunter frowns and Cut notices. Hunter gives him a ‘help me’ look and Cut nods his head at the Youngling.

“Uhm, y-you kids wouldn’t be interested in coming with me into town would you?” Hunter suggests. Omega gasps excitedly.

“Can we?!” She asks and he nods.

“Yes!” Omega exclaims and Wyyntrr roars happily before the two older kids high-five.

“Sure. Since you’re our kids now we need things you need,” Hunter adds reasonably when Tech looks at him.

“What do you think Maisy? Do you wanna come with us? You can pick something for yourself,” Hunter bargains when he sees the Youngling has little interest in eating much less in going somewhere. Wrecker frowns worriedly when the Youngling sighs.

“Ok,” she mumbles, picking at the uneaten fruit. Wrecker and Tech share a concerned look.

The kids finish up and while they get ready, Hunter nudges Cut’s bicep.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Hunter whispers. The farmer blinks but nods and follows the sergeant outside out of earshot.

“It’s clear Maisy stayed up all night. She’s been having trouble sleeping ever since the Jedi were killed,” Hunter explains.

“I don’t know what to do to help her-“ Hunter says.

“Well the market trip will do her some good, get her focused on something else. Here. Get the kids something they want, on me,” Cut says, handing Hunter a small pouch heavy with credits.

“No-I can’t-you and your family have already done so much for us-“ Hunter argues.

“Take it. So you don’t have to worry about money,” Cut insists and Hunter nods.

“Thanks,” Hunter replies.

The others meet Hunter and Cut outside.

“Wanna come with us?” Omega asks Shaeeah and Jekk.

“Sorry, they’ll have to start packing up,” Cut tells the girl. Maisy’s holding onto her necklace pendant that used to be Omega’s head circlet until the female clone gifted it to the Youngling when she was scared as they entered the Lower Levels of Coruscant.

“Ready?” Hunter asks.

“Ready! Rrrggh!“ Omega and Wyyntrr respond. Maisy nods firmly.

“Mm-hmm,” she agrees. Hunter smiles and nods.

“When we come back we’ll get you and your family to a nearby spaceport,” Hunter tells Cut.

“Sounds good,” the farmer replies and the group heads into the village.

As they walk along the path, Hunter makes sure to instill the rules into each of the kids.

“Rule 1: Stay in our sights at all times. Rule 2: Don’t steal, if you want something, ask us,” Hunter says and Tech nods.

“Within reason,” the pilot adds.

“Rule 3: Uhh…Actually—I guess that’s it for all 3 of you. But Rule 1 is very important,”Hunter says before turning to Tech and nodding.

“Right. Omega, here is an extra comm device. It used to be Crosshair’s but we can still use it,” Tech says, strapping the device to the young clone’s right forearm.

“Wow! I get my own comm device?! I’ll keep good track of it” Omega says excitedly.

“We’ll look for one for you too Wyyntrr,” Tech says and Wyyntrr nods. Hunter glances at them and steps towards Maisy. He frowns when he feels a familiar pulse in his head. The pulsing isn’t painful and it’s so faint, the sergeant wonders if it’s real at first. Hunter knows the stronger the pulsing gets, the stronger the electromagnetism is. He glances around but that’s when he feels it strongest coming from Maisy! Hunter sees the Youngling holding something.

“Whatchya got there?” He asks as they approach the outskirts of the village.

“Omega gave it to me,” Maisy says and shows him the head circlet the Youngling now wears as a necklace.

“She said it’ll protect me,” the Youngling adds.

“It’s true,” Omega says. At first Hunter is unfamiliar with the symbol but…there’s something about it. Something connected to the pulsing!

“Can I see that for a second?” He asks, getting the others’ attention. Maisy blinks and looks at Omega, clearly not wanting to but Omega nods encouragingly. Maisy takes a breath before nodding at Hunter and removes the necklace. The Youngling hands it over to the sergeant and he feels the pulsing get stronger slightly. He inspects it and at first it appears to be made of stone but Hunter realizes it’s just the way the metal is. He feels all around it until he spots and almost invisible seam on the back of it. Hunter’s dark eyes widen.

“Tech, can you open this?” Hunter asks. Tech blinks, looking up from his datapad and adjusts his goggles.

“Let me see,” Tech replies and takes the object. After a few seconds, Tech manages to open the back of the necklace pendant and his eyes widen.

“Hunter-“ Tech warns and tosses it back to the leader of the squad. Hunter gasps quietly when he sees a small red beeping light on a tracker! He takes it out and stomps on the small electrical device, crushing it.

“Let’s not take too long here. We have to get back to Cut and Suu’s as soon as possible,” Hunter orders and the others nod. Unbeknownst to Clone Force 99, two different ships have arrived, both also unaware of each other.

Meanwhile on Dantooine…

3rd POV

Cody manages to use one of his contacts he got during the War to find out that Clone Force 99 was last seen on Coruscant.

“Coruscant? Why? Hunter can hardly stand it-“ Crosshair says, reliving a memory involving Hunter’s constant complaining their first trip to the giant city-planet as he sits up, no longer in such pain.

“I’m not sure. From what I understand, they’ve left already,” Cody explains.

“I have to return to Kamino with my new squad. We completed our mission and they’re waiting for me,” the sniper explains. Cody nods.

“Here, I’ve already got my personal comm channel programmed in. It’ll reach me and only me,” Cody says, handing Crosshair the small device.

“How do you feel now?” Cody asks and Crosshair nods.

“Not too bad. I’m not too sure what brings the pain. I completed my mission on Ankus and I still felt it,” Crosshair says.

“Maybe it’s more of a symptom of your trauma rather than a trigger response,” Cody says and the sniper looks at him.

“Thanks to my datapad I’m as smart as Tech,” Cody chuckles, reading word for word. While the commander does know first aid, it’s really just the basics.

“I have to get back to my shuttle and go back to Ankus,” Crosshair says and Cody nods.

“I’m going to find Rex. I know he’s out there somewhere. I have to tell him about these inhibitor chips,” Cody says and Crosshair nods.

“Thank you for helping me Commander…You didn’t have to,” Crosshair says.

“‘Course I did. You’re my brother. Also no offense but I don’t think you’d be good at getting this chip outta me. I don’t trust whatever Nala Se did to you. But once I do get the chip out, I’ll come back for you-“ Cody says.

“No. I’m going to confront Hunter after my new squad and I report back to Kamino. Whatever happens after, it’s on him,” Crosshair interrupts.

“You have my comm channel,” Cody says and the sniper nods, an action that no longer hurts to do. He pats the pouch he shoved it in to affirm to the commander before vigorously shaking forearms in a brotherly way.

“Don’t die,” Cody tells him with a smirk

“You too,” Crosshair replies, returning the smirk.

Crosshair leaves the small hut at the end of the path and heads back to the shuttle he took. Once he’s inside, he plots the coordinates to Ankus in the hyperdrive before turning on his helmet transceiver.

“ES-03 respond,” Crosshair announces and at first there’s no response.

“Squad leader ES-03 respond now,” the sniper says.

“This is ES-03, sir, where are you?” The response answers.

“I’m on my way back now. Be sure to set up a perimeter around the area before loading the return ship. I will send rendezvous coordinates shortly,” Cross says.

“Yes sir,” ES-03 responds before the sniper shuts off the comms. Crosshair inputs the coordinates just outside of Ankus and transmits them to his squad. The sniper powers the shuttle on and flies off Dantooine and switches the hyperdrive on. The ship zips into hyperspace with a whoosh. The sniper watches the stars turn streaky before it looks like a swirling blue, purple and black tunnel. Crosshair sighs and shuts his eyes, letting the ship fly itself.

Back on Saleukami…

Tech’s POV

As we wander through the small village market, I tap away on my datapad. I do have to keep track of the conversation between Omega and Padawan Wyyntrr so the girl can understand him and I make a note to start teaching Omega Shyriiwook. There are other dialects called Thykarann and Xaczik as well but Wyyntrr speaks Shyriiwook.

“He’s been to a planet like this with his Jedi Master once. He says it’s easy to get distracted,” I explain to Omega when he keeps a good pace but still holds Omega’s hand.

I try and find out who knows about the tracking device inside Omega’s head circlet. It could be Nala Se. After all it matches the one she wears. It could be Lama Su, the Prime Minister…hell, it could’ve been his idea and her handiwork. That’s when Hunter stops and looks around.

“What is it?” I ask. After looking for a moment, he shakes his head.

“I thought something was following us,” Hunter explains but when I use my visor to scan the area, I see nothing out of the ordinary.

“I don’t see anything,” I say and he nods.

“Neither do I. But stay vigilant,” Hunter tells me quietly and I nod at him.

As we walk past a stall, I see Maisy stop walking.

“Guys-“ I say and the others stop now as well. I watch as the little girl approaches and steps inside. The warm yellow light illuminates the stall and I see it’s more of a curios shop. Bits and bobs for everything from droids to weapons and even prosthetics and ships too line the shop. There’s also information stored on different things from data rods to holodiscs on the front counter that the shopkeeper is sitting behind. I also see things like paint, glue and even some toys.

“Hello, what can I help you all with today?” The shopkeeper asks as everyone looks around. Omega sees a sharp drill tool and reaches for it but Echo stops her, catching her hand by her wrist and shakes his head.

“Do you sell comm devices?” Hunter asks.

“‘Course I do. Built up a collection of ‘em over the years,” the shopkeeper says and pulls out a box full of different comms.

“C’mere kid, let’s see if one fits ya,” Hunter says as he pats the blind Wookiee’s shoulder gently. I help out and glance at Wrecker and then look at the girls. He notices my face and nods.

Wrecker’s POV

I watch Wyyntrr approach as Hunter starts sifting through the box. I see Tech look at me then at the girls and I see he wants to help so I nod at him, letting him know I’ll keep watch over the girls. I turn and see Omega and Maisy going through the 2 shelves of toys.

“Did you have toys on Kamino?” Maisy asks. Omega thinks.

“Not really but I’d seen soldiers that come back from the war front with personal items that meant something to them,” Omega explains and I can’t help the frown that forms on my face. Even I had Lula. While it was…unusual to have Lula, I was free to keep her with me. Not even Omega had a toy.

“You said earlier the Jedi Masters have all the toys for you?” Omega asks and Maisy nods.

“They keep them for us. The Masters say that getting attached leads to bad things,” Maisy explains. I frown. What a weird concept to teach to kids, especially ones as young as Maisy. Though I suppose from an outsider’s perspective our own rituals and morals might seem weird.

“Look! This one’s so cool!” Omega says, reaching over and picking something out on the lowest shelf. Once she brings it out I can see it’s a metal wind-up clapping monkey toy. Omega hands it over to Maisy and the little girl takes it curiously. She looks at it before tapping the head, making it bobble. The Youngling twists the key on the back before letting it go on the ground. The toy’s eyes light up red and it claps as it walks forward in a relatively straight line. I hear Maisy gasp quietly and awe at it.

“Wizard,” the Youngling gasps in amazement. I smile and kneel down to the girls but still tower over them.

“Do you like it? We can get it,” I tell Maisy. She blinks.

“A-Are you sure?” She asks me and I nod.

“Sure! What about you Omega? See anything you like?” I ask.

“We have Lula, I’m ok,” Omega answers and I smile and nod.

3rd POV

Tech manages to find a comm device at the bottom of the box that fits the blind albino Wookiee’s wrist. He feels the device on him.

“Is it too tight?” Tech asks in Shyriiwook and Wyyntrr shakes his head. As the others talk, Wyyntrr manages to hear a slight ticking sound buried under the talking and rummaging. He turns his head and and uses his hearing to locate the object. Wyyntrr reaches over to a shelf just a bit taller than him and feel around before his eyes widen. He feels a round metallic device vibrate with each ticking sound. Wyyntrr grabs the object and feels it with both pale pink hands.

“It’s a stopwatch,” Tech tells him.

“Rrrghh-Raaggh-rrggh?” the Wookiee asks happily.

“Of course you can have it,” Wrecker answers immediately. The Padawan smiles and looks in Maisy’s direction, who smiles back at him.

“Look at mine—it’s a monkey toy-“ Maisy tells him. Tech taps Hunter to get his attention and motions to the kids.

“We’ll take the comm device and the toys,” Hunter says to the shopkeeper.

“Ok that’ll be 75 credits,” he says and Hunter looks to Tech, silently asking if it’s a fair price. Tech nods slightly.

“Thanks,” the shopkeeper says as Hunter hands him the credits.

“C’mon let’s keep going,” the sergeant says, herding the others out.

Hunter is busy leading the group down the busy street. Tech is busy setting up Wyyntrr’s new comm device so Wrecker is making sure the kids stay together and keep up. As they walk, Hunter feels that familiar sense again so he has the group turn down a side street. They cross the street and keep walking when Tech suddenly points out a shop nearby that sells a more varied selection of ship parts.

“Wait outside while we get what we need,” Hunter tells Wrecker and the kids. The demolitions expert nods.

“You got it boss,” Wrecker says and Hunter follows Tech inside. Wrecker watches Omega and Wyyntrr run around while Maisy looks around curiously. Wrecker smiles at the Youngling. At least the Youngling’s not so sad looking like she was before, Wrecker thinks to himself.

As he makes sure Maisy doesn’t wander too far, Wrecker is unaware of a pair of eyes watching him. Wyyntrr suddenly pauses and turns his head to where he thinks he’s being watched. Omega looks where the Padawan is facing.

“Wrecker?” Omega asks, getting his attention. She points when she spots the pair of amber eyes looking at them. The figure is wearing a wide brimmed metal domed hat. At first he’s alone until a second pair of eyes appear. Out of the shadows walks a large canine creature called an anooba. It growls menacingly and Wrecker grabs his blaster.

“Who is that?” Omega asks, pointing at the figure. The figure makes an order in his native alien language that no one understands, so when they stand still, he orders his canine to attack. Omega gasps.

“Move!” Wyyntrr exclaims and tackles Omega out of the way. The two scramble to their feet as Hunter races out armed and ready. The sergeant examines the situation and sees Wrecker firing on an animal as Omega keeps pulling Wyyntrr back. Hunter glances over and sees Maisy hiding in a different area. Wrecker fires off 3 stun bolts, all missing the animal. It races closer and closer to Wrecker before leaping right at him! The anooba latches on to Wrecker’s forearm so thank goodness he wears armor.

Hunter aims at the animal and is about to fire when Wrecker’s moving makes it hard. Tech races out and starts trying to distract the animal. While trying to free Wrecker, Hunter is too busy to notice the helmeted figure approaching Maisy, who’s hiding behind a stack of trashed crates. The Youngling watches the chaos when she spots the Kyuzo approach Omega and Wyyntrr. Maisy tries to call out to the older kids when a hand suddenly comes up to cover her mouth, silencing her! Maisy’s eyes widen and she starts fighting when another arm comes to wrap under her arms and pick her up. The Youngling wriggles and writhes, dropping her clapping monkey toy, but the hands have a grip of steel. The mysterious helmeted figure pulls out a tranquilizer and jabs the Youngling’s neck. In no time at all, Maisy goes limp and passes out.

Wrecker manages to toss the animal off him and Tech fires, stunning the beast twice when the first shot didn’t fully stop it but that’s when it’s owner grabs his hat and throws it at Wrecker, knocking him out due to the strong metal material it’s made out of. It ricochets off the demolitions expert and heads towards Hunter, but he blocks it. When the sergeant tosses the hat/shield down, the Kyuzo suddenly fires at Hunter hitting his shoulder!

“Gah!” The sergeant growls in pain, falling to the ground.

“Hunter!” Tech exclaims. Tech tries to get to Hunter, but the immediate fire forces Tech to take cover behind a street light. Omega gasps and when she tries to go to the sergeant herself, Wyyntrr yanks her back just in time for a blaster bolt to whizz by the young clone’s face! He roars and shakes his head.

“Stay down! Don’t come out!” Tech orders to the kids. Hunter struggles but manages to get up. He rotates his shoulder in a circle to try an get rid of the pain since his pauldron blocked most of the bolt from doing too much damage. The Kyuzo pins Hunter down and talks to him. Due to his strange alien language, Tech uses his visor to translate and his eyes widen in realization.

“He’s after the children!” Tech warns, panic seeping into his tone.

“Bounty hunter!” The sergeant exclaims and kicks him in the stomach, sending the bounty hunter stumbling back. Hunter fights unarmed, exchanging blows with the bounty hunter.

While the two fight Tech manages to get to Wrecker and examine him. Once the pilot determines there are no crucial or fatal injuries, he starts shaking Wrecker.

“Wrecker wake up!” Tech snaps when he sees Hunter strike a blow only for it to be returned just as harshly.

Omega takes a breath when she suddenly realizes Maisy was hiding across the street! She gasps when she sees the little girl is nowhere in sight!

“Wyyntrr-where’d Maisy go?!” Omega asks urgently. The blind albino Wookiee shuts his eyes and reaches his hand out, feeling for the Youngling using the Force. He makes the connection and feels the Youngling isn’t anywhere close by. In fact, she’s somewhere on the other side of the village! He shakes his head and Omega’s concern and worry grows. She looks back at the situation and sees Tech managed to wake Wrecker enough to get him to stand. He stumbles a bit and rubs his head where he got hit, still clearly dazed. Meanwhile the bounty hunter’s hound wakes up from it’s stun and targets the two while the bounty hunter and the sergeant of Clone Force 99 brawl openly in the street, earning attention from onlookers.

“We have to find her,” Omega says and the padawan nods in agreement. He grabs Omega’s hand and leads her further into the village.

Wyyntrr senses Maisy and when he does, she can feel the connection through the Force being made, despite being passed out.

“Wyyntrr?! Wyyntrr help!! Help me! Pleeeeease!” The padawan hears Maisy cry out as she sobs.

“Rrraaaghhh!” Wyyntrr roars before starting to run, pulling Omega behind him.

Back near the market, Hunter manages to subdue the Kyuzo bounty hunter before shooting at his anooba hound with live rounds instead of stun bolts. He misses a fatal shot and grazes the creature’s side, making it yelp in pain before tumbling to the ground. The bounty hunter cries out and reaches to the creature, thinking the worse until he hears it whimper in pain. The bounty hunter glares at the sergeant before he swings as hard as he can, punching Hunter in the jaw, knocking the soldier off him. The bounty hunter grabs hold of a smoke grenade before tossing it near Hunter, Tech and Wrecker. It explodes and the bounty hunter grabs his faithful hound and disappears once the smoke dissolves. Hunter looks around and frowns with worry.

“Where are the kids?” He asks Tech urgently, who shakes his head.

“I..I lost them during the fighting after Wrecker was injured-“ Tech admits.

“What?! C’mon!” Hunter exclaims and they start running. Hunter looks around until he spots something on the ground. He runs over and once he gets close, he sees it’s the monkey toy Maisy picked out earlier!

“Let’s go!” Hunter says and follows what little clues there are. Due to the farming nature and limited technology of the small village, there are no computers or cameras to plug into so the group has to rely solely on Hunter’s enhanced skills.

Fennec Shand’s POV

I get to the abandoned hut at the edge of the village and set the kid down against one of the crumbling walls. I use binders and cuff the girl’s wrists together while she stirs. I can tell the sedative is wearing off and soon she’ll be awake. I use a tether to tie the girl to the last support beam holding up the run down hut. I sigh and look at her. Normally I don’t work jobs involving kids but the pay is good. My client, Nala Se the head Kaminoan scientist, said that the little girl with my target, Omega, was to be considered as a Jedi and to take her as well. I look and see how young the girl is. No more than 3 or 4. I’ve never seen a Jedi this young before. She stirs and gasps, her eyes snapping open, clear and alert. She struggles and sees she’s bound with a tether and cuffed at her wrists.

“Take it easy kid-“ I tell her and her dark bright eyes look at me with fear.

“W-Who are you?! Where am I?!“ The little girl demands.

“My name’s not important. All you need to know is that you’ll see the other kids soon enough,” I say.

“W-What? How do you know?”

“I’m using you as bait,” I reply bluntly and her eyes widen.

“Lemme go!!” The little girl snaps, still struggling against her bindings. She attempts to cry out for help so I gag her as well. I knew the older kids would come find this toddler during the fighting. I peek out and that’s when I see my other target, Omega, with an all white Wookiee who appears to be about Omega’s age. He looks in my direction. As he comes this way, pulling Omega with him, I hide up in the rafters.

3rd POV

Across the street Omega looks around as she holds onto Wyyntrr’s hand. He looks over towards a ruined hut on the end of a street that marks the edge of the village. He feels Maisy and points to the hut. Omega nods understandingly and the two hurry over to the dilapidated building. Omega reaches the door panel and presses the entrance button. The door whooshes up and the kids look around. Omega’s eyes widen when she sees Maisy tied up and bound. The Youngling spots them and tears well in her eyes.

“Mmmphf!!! Mmmm-Mmmfph!!” Maisy tries to warn the older kids, but instead they run right to her.

“Maisy! Hold on, we’ll get you out-“ Omega says taking off the gag over Maisy’s mouth.

“Run! It’s a trap!” Maisy insists, but that’s when the door suddenly shuts and Wyyntrr draws his saber instinctively, sensing another presence. The teal color of the blade illuminates the room, allowing Omega to see the tether around the Youngling. That’s when Fennec Shand, the bounty hunter that kidnapped Maisy, leaps down from overhead, forcing Wyyntrr to dive out of the way. He rolls and stands at the ready.

“Rraaaghhh!!! RAAAUUGHHH!” Wyyntrr roars protectively, making sure to stand right in front of Maisy and Omega.

“Jedi…she was right,” the bounty hunter whispers to herself.

“Wyyntrr! Be careful!” Omega calls to him.

“Easy kid, I don’t wanna hurt you. My orders are to take you alive and unharmed if possible,” Fennec tells the Wookiee. Omega manages to get the tether off Maisy but when the young female clone sees the binders she frowns. Metallic locking mechanism. Omega looks around.

“Come with me, we gotta get those things off you,” Omega tells Maisy, who nods and obediently follows the older girl while Wyyntrr keeps the attention of the bounty hunter, having the most combat experience out of the 3 ‘siblings’.

Omega and Maisy slip out of the hut while Wyyntrr fights Fennec, keeping a good distance from her and only being defensive and avoidant. She tries stunning Wyyntrr, but he blocks 2 stun bolts and dodges the 3rd. Wyyntrr uses the Force to pick up Fennec and toss her back into the wall, making the bounty hunter crumple to the floor. She grunts and winces at the daze, shaking her head a bit. Once she blinks and gets to her feet, the blind albino Wookiee is gone.

Wyyntrr managed to catch up with the girls, who found a rusty old speeder across the street. There’s a bag strapped to it so Omega starts sifting through it. Wyyntrr asks a question when he turns in Omega’s direction.

“I’m not sure. Omega, what are you doing?” Maisy asks.

“There’s a first aid kit, credits, a canteen, a scope-Ah! Found it! Tool kit!” Omega says and that’s when the kids hear Fennec break through the broken door across the street.

“Hurry!” Maisy gasps as Omega gets to work on the Youngling’s binders. Omega twists the spanner in her hand before prying open the binders around the little girl’s wrists. They click open and fall to the ground.

“Get on!” Wyyntrr orders, motioning to the speeder. He gets up front with Maisy behind him and Omega behind her so the Youngling is in the middle. Wyyntrr powers it up and while it sputters a couple times, it does hum to life and hover above the ground. Maisy looks and spots the scope in the bag Omega was rummaging through and picks it up. Fennec races towards them and Wyyntrr floors it. He turns and the bounty hunter spots Wyyntrr’s escape route. She grabs an explosive and tosses it forcing the kids to skid, turning harshly. Wyyntrr smirks and raises his middle finger to the bounty hunter, roaring.

“You missed!” Maisy giggles, sticking her tongue out as she looks through the scope at Fennec as they race by. Omega sees what the Wookiee is doing before smirking herself and flashing the same gesture.

Fennec spots the kids on the speeder skidding by as the two older kids flip her off. She grabs a tracking device and attaches it to her rifle before aiming at the speeder and firing. The tracker lands near the base of the speeder, unnoticed by the kids as they speed away laughing.

Hunter’s POV

I race through the village, unable to spot any signs of the kids. Tech’s datapad beeps and I see him adjust his goggles.

“Hunter—there’s been alerts of a fight on the north side,” Tech says.

“The kids,” Wrecker says worriedly but I’ve already taken off at a sprint. We come to a street when the kids suddenly speed right past me, nearly colliding with me!

“GAH!” Omega and Maisy exclaim seeing Hunter run right out in front of them. Wyyntrr swerves out of the way hard enough that Omega and Maisy have to hold onto each other to keep from falling. The Wookiee brakes hard and the bike skids to a stop.

“Hunter! Wrecker! Tech!” Omega exclaims, helping Maisy off the bike by picking the little girl up and setting her down.

“Rrrgh!!!” Wyyntrr roars excitedly, fist-pumping the air. They all run up to me as I spread my arms and kneel down. They collide with my armor and wrap their arms around me and each other.

“Are you kids alright? Are you hurt?” I ask, inspecting each child.

“Wyyntrr and I are ok but Maisy was taken-“ Omega explains and I turn to the Youngling.

“Maisy?” I ask.

“I…I don’t know who it was…but Wyyntrr and Omega…they saved me,” the little girl tells me as her hug tightens. I pick her up and she tucks her head under my jaw. I know we’re being watched, I can feel it. But I ignore the feeling and focus on the kids.

“Let’s get back to the farm,” I tell them and they nod.

3rd POV

As the group of soldiers and children make their way back to the Lawquane farm, Fennec Shand watches them from a nondescript alley, having followed the tracker. Fennec sighs before turning back to where she landed her ship. Once inside the cockpit, Fennec powers the ship on and contacts Nala Se, her client.

“Did you apprehend Omega and the child with her?” Nala Se asks.

“No. The children escaped when another hunter intervened. I tracked them back to Clone Force 99. I could still capture them for you-“ Fennec Shand offers, “but that’ll cost you extra.”

“No. As long as Omega is not captured by Lama Su, she is as safe as she can be,” Nala Se says.

“Then our business is complete. If you have another job, you know how to reach me,” Fennec Shand says, ending the communications.

The group heads back to the farm. Hunter hands Maisy her clapping monkey toy that he found when trying to look for them. When they get back, Hunter quietly explains what happens and helps the Lawquanes pack the last of their essentials.

“We need to get going now,” Cut says and his kids share a worried look.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find a new place, just as nice as this, maybe even nicer,” Suu says.

“But this is our house,” Shaeeah argues sadly.

“Sweetie, a place is not home. Home is your family, the ones that love you. Wherever we go, we’ll be home because we have each other,” Cut says. Omega glances up at Hunter and smiles. The sergeant puts Maisy down and she grabs hold of Wyyntrr’s hand.

“Wrecker, do you mind?” Hunter asks, motioning to the heavy kitchen items. Wrecker nods and the soldiers help carry the family’s belongings, with the demolitions expert grabbing the heaviest things like the box of pots, pans, cups, plates, utensils, etc.

“Get everything outside and I’ll bring the ship by and pick everyone up,” Tech says and Hunter nods.

Tech makes the trek back to the Marauder in no time as Wrecker manages to carry out some of the farm tools from the barn. The sun sets as Tech returns in the ship and helps everyone load up.

As the ship starts moving up, Tech announces to everyone to take a seat as he increases the incline a bit.

“Where are we going?” Jekk asks.

“Somewhere safe,” his mother assures him.

“We know of an Outer Rim world where the Empire would never find you,” Hunter explains from the copilot seat.

“Kowak. It’s near wild space, far out of the Empire’s reach,” Wrecker adds, “we had a mission there during the War.”

The Lawquane family nod.

“We don’t have enough fuel to get you there, but we got you passes on the next shuttle out of Sandori, the nearest spaceport,” Tech says.

“If you think it’s safe for us, then let’s go,” Cut agrees as Tech flies the ship, keeping within the atmosphere.

The ship slows down and Tech opens the doors to drop off the Lawquane family. The kids say their goodbyes and Cut wishes the soldiers luck as they depart onto their shuttle with their things.

Meanwhile, back on Coruscant….

3rd POV

Rex and Echo search the Jedi Temple, being careful of the Coruscant Guard that showed up upon the pair’s return. The 501st Captain watches the boys in red check all the bodies they pass. At first Rex and Echo wonder what’s going on until the Coruscant Guard get to one of the 501st soldiers still barely alive, weakly clinging to life. Echo’s eyes widen when the guard pulls out his blaster and fires, killing the 501st trooper.

“We gotta hurry-“ Echo whispers.

“We’ve checked every area I can think of, I don’t know where else he’d be-“ Rex says quietly. Echo thinks on every room they’ve checked so far (including from earlier when they found Padawan Wyyntrr). Rex and Echo cleared the library, the mess hall, the training rooms, the quarters, and even the council room.

“There is a place we didn’t check yet-“ Rex realizes.

“Where?” Echo asks.

“There’s this place General Skywalker talked about called the Vaults. It’s where the Jedi keep their most valuable information,” Rex explains. Echo nods and uses his scomp to plug in to the map of the Temple.

“Past the east wing near the comms tower. Let’s go,” Echo says and Rex nods.

The pair arrive and see the doors look forced open. They keep on guard and silently, cautiously make their way into the room. It’s destroyed, like the rest of the Temple. At first, there are no bodies, not until they get to the back, where the holochrons are kept. That’s when they hear something. The two 501st soldiers follow the sound and the closer they get, the more it sounds like grunting or someone working or just…someone…someone alive. They approach and see a fellow 501st soldier on his knees. There’s a body of an elderly female he appears to be focused on and even though Echo and Rex do not know this Jedi personally, they’ve heard from Ahsoka that Master Jocasta Nu is in charge of the place in such catastrophic times. The 501st soldier pants a bit with effort as he keeps pumping her chest rhythmically. Rex spots the red marking on the soldier’s pauldron and his heart clenches.

“Kix?” Echo asks for Rex. Echo’s voice rings out and causes the soldier doing chest compressions to stop, frozen in place. He slowly glances back with a horrified look on his face.

“Echo?” He asks looking at the ARC trooper but then he notices Rex just standing, staring at him in shock.

“Rex?” Kix, the 501st medic asks, his hand hovers over his blaster pistol, unsure if he can trust either of them. Rex looks at Kix and that’s when he spots the small scar on the side of the medic’s head.

“Your inhibitor chip is out-“ Rex breathes a sigh of relief. Now Kix looks at them in shock.

“You…you know about the chip?” Kix asks. Rex nods.

“How’d you find out about it?” Rex asks.

“Fives-he-…he came to me when Tup first showed signs,” Kix explains.

“Yours is out too?” The medic asks and the two nod.

“So far it’s only us and the rest of Clone Force 99,” Rex explains and Kix nods before glancing down at the dead Jedi Master. There are Younglings but Kix moved them out of sight, into the vaults.

“What happened on Mandalore?” Kix asks. I shake my head.

“We lost some from Maul. But…Order 66 happened on the way back from Mandalore…after that…we lost everyone from my half of the 501st. What happened to General Skywalker and why are his men here when Skywalker himself is nowhere to be found in the carnage?” Rex asks.

“You…don’t know…do you?” Kix asks with a dark look in his eye. Rex feels a primal, instinctual fear when Kix looks at him.

“Know what?” Echo asks.

“He did it…he was the one that killed them,” Kix says and neither Rex nor Echo need explanation.

“N-No…No-th-that…that can’t be-“ Echo stutters while Rex feels his body go into shock, feeling numb all over.

“R-Rex?” Echo asks.

“You know it as well as I do. You’ve seen it in him…the darkness. You want proof? Here-“ Kix says handing Rex a recording. Echo looks at Rex worriedly before the Captain powers it on. The blue hologram shines and they see General Skywalker slicing, cutting through Jedi as if they were nothing but obstacles in his path. Blaster bolts fill the background as the Jedi that remained at the Temple fell one by one.

“General Skywalker killed the Jedi,” Kix says roughly, his voice haggard and almost raspy.

End.

Have some art I managed to work into this fic💙 (2nd pic is referenced from the Enemy mv)

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writingforfun0714 · 7 months ago

Text

Hello all,

I’m so sorry for the hiatus/break. To make a long story short I had 3 family members die really close together (within about 5-6 days) and my younger brother had pneumonia but he’s fine now.

Here is Chapter 3 for my Bad Batch rewrite Our Love—basically how I think TBB should’ve gone+self insert fic. I’m sorry this took so long, but I was writing this chapter as S3 was airing and I was unhappy with how S3 ended up being so that really discouraged me.

I definitely recommend reading Chapters 1 + 2 before this (link is chapter index)

Our Love

Chapter 3: You Can’t Escape the Past

Warnings: spoilers, AU/OC characters, POV changes, O66 trauma, lemme know if I need anything else

Words: 8,096

3rd POV

Maisy and Omega gasp when they round the pile of debris to see a white Wookiee sitting with his legs pulled up, face buried, sobbing. He’s unaware of the girls’ presence so Maisy steps forward.

“Help,” she says. Her voice gets the Wookiee’s attention and his head snaps up. The girls’ pause when they see his eyes are bright red with blood red pupils. He looks in Maisy’s direction.

“Help,” she repeats.

“You called for help. I heard you,” the little girl says. The Wookiee’s eyes widen.

“Are you a survivor? Do you know what happened here?” He asks and Maisy shakes her head.

“Uh-uh. I came cuz I felt your call for help,” Maisy explains.

“Do you know what he’s saying?” Omega asks Maisy, who nods. Her Master spoke Shyriiwook fluently and often taught the Youngling in his spare time and she picked it up quickly. The white Wookiee flinches and seems startled, which makes Omega confused. She’d been standing with Maisy the whole time, so how did he not notice her? She looks at his gaze and sees that he’s staring in Maisy’s direction, but isn’t actually looking at her. Omega’s eyes widen.

“You’re blind,” she says.

“Who are you!? You’re no Jedi!” The Wookiee exclaims. Omega flinches.

“It’s ok! She’s my sister!” Maisy spouts immediately. Omega blinks and looks down at the Youngling.

“Sh-she’s with me…they all are-“ Maisy says.

“They?” The Wookiee asks but that’s when the rest of the Batch and Rex hurry in and see the Wookiee.

Rex and Echo look around the room. Bodies of Younglings lay about. They cannot believe it. While Hunter and the others are dealing with the albino Wookiee Padawan, Rex drops to his knees.

“They’re all…gone…the Jedi…the 501st…all of them…they’re all gone,” Rex repeats lifelessly as Echo puts his normal hand on Rex’s pauldron.

“Not all of them…we’re still here,” Echo replies. Rex looks up at him before sighing and looking at the lifeless bodies littering the room.

“If Ahsoka was with you…what was General Skywalker doing?” Echo asks.

“He was supposed to go rescue the Chancellor,” Rex explains.

“But..all information regarding General Skywalker has been sealed,” Rex adds. Echo looks at the bodies and that’s when his eyes widen in realization. His stomach churns.

“R-Rex-“ Echo says. Rex looks up at him and sees the shock and horror.

“Look at them-“ Echo points to the children’s lifeless bodies. Rex looks at them and when he sees the chest of one, with a distinct, large singed cut going up the child’s body. A….Lightsaber.

“Is that-?” Echo begins to ask.

“A lightsaber cut,” Rex confirms.

“W-Who…Who would do this to children?” Echo asks and Rex shakes his head.

“I’m not sure…but…I think whatever General Skywalker was doing had something to do with this. He would never allow our brothers to do this to the Jedi if he were here,” Rex states.

“It could’ve been Ventress-“ Echo says.

“Or Maul,” Rex adds.

“Who’s Maul?” Echo asks.

“A Sith…he uses red laser swords like Ventress,” Rex explains.

“What if…what if whoever killed these kids…killed General Skywalker?” Echo asks.

“Echo, you know the General as well as I do. He wasn’t like the other Jedi,” Rex insists.

“He wasn’t…but you know we shouldn’t assume anything…not with everything that’s happened,” Echo argues gently before glancing over at the others. He walks over and motions to Rex, who glances back at the dead Jedi children, some who look as young as 3-4, the same age as Youngling Maisy. Rex briefly wonders about the infants, but he pushes that thought out of his mind quickly and follows Echo back to join the group.

Omega’s POV

I stay quiet and let Maisy talk to the Wookiee. I can really only get Maisy’s half and assume based on what she says.

“It’s ok..these clones won’t hurt you. They’re all with me,” Maisy reassures the albino Wookiee.

“It’s true..we’re friends,” I add gently.

“R-Rrrghh?” He whimpers.

“It’s the ‘inbitter’ chips,” Maisy says.

“In-hi-bi-tor chips,” I correct.

“Theirs don’t work,” Maisy insists.

“Rrrgghh-rraughh,” He mumbles sadly.

“Mine too…but you’re not alone…come with us,” Maisy says. I look and see Hunter about to stop Maisy, but I grab hold of his arm, getting his attention. He looks down at me and I shake my head and look up at him pleadingly. He sighs quietly but stays silent and I smile.

“Rrrr-Rrghh?” He asks and I see Maisy smile at him and nod.

“Uh-huh. Come with us,” she says, holding out a hand to him. He blinks before tentatively reaching out and taking the little girl’s hand in his large one. Maisy smiles and looks up at me. I give her an encouraging nod and smile at her before putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Good job,” I tell her and she beams at me. I take a step towards the Wookiee.

“I’m Omega,” I introduce and my brothers all take turns introducing themselves with their voices.

“What’s your name?” Maisy asks.

“Rraahh,” the Wookiee answers.

“Wyyntrr,” Maisy translates and I smile.

“Wyyntrr,” I repeat.

“Rrr-Rrragghh-Rrrr!” He says.

“Oh, you’re a Padawan! I’m a Youngling!” She says, pulling him towards the group.

“What’s the difference?” Wrecker asks.

“He’s older and got more training,” Maisy explains.

“We have to get out of here,” Hunter warns.

“Down that way-“ Maisy points to a ruined hallway.

“Let’s move-“ Rex says, putting a hand on Echo’s shoulder to get his attention.

We walk down the hall, avoiding the bodies of Jedi and 501st troopers. Maisy keeps holding Wyyntrr’s hand as they walk with Hunter and Tech leading the way. I look and see Maisy’s eyes are wide as she looks at the bodies and I realize that it’s starting to affect her.

“Rraagh—Rrrr,” Wyyntrr says and I see him shiver.

“I’m cold too,” Maisy says in agreement. I frown in confusion. I feel fine.

“Hunter?” I ask, looking up at the Sergeant. He looks around.

“Rex-did..did you see?” Echo asks the 501st captain.

“Not all of those kids were killed with blaster fire-“ Echo says, his voice breaking.

“What?!” Wrecker asks, clearly in shock.

“Echo-“ Rex warns, knowing now is not the time to have this conversation. I look between Captain Rex and Echo worriedly before I feel Maisy tug on my sleeve.

“Bad…the bad dark,” she tells me.

“What does that mean?” I ask her.

“The bad dark is coming for us,” Maisy warns and my eyes widen. I snap back into the moment and realize the others are arguing.

“Hunter!” I exclaim, getting everyone’s attention.

“The bad dark is coming,” Maisy repeats.

“Rex?” Hunter asks for clarification.

“Not good-MOVE!” Rex snaps. Wrecker picks up Wyyntrr before me with his other hand while Maisy reaches for Tech, being the closest, who picks the little girl up easily.

3rd POV

Wrecker picks up the older kids while Tech grabs Maisy and the group sprints as fast as they can as Maisy guides them through the ruined Temple. Hunter is right beside Tech, holding his blaster pistol at the ready since Wrecker is unarmed.

“Down that hall and turn left,” Maisy points and Hunter runs ahead, scouting while Rex and Echo bring up the rear.

Omega looks over Wrecker’s shoulder.

“I don’t see anything,” Omega says. Wyyntrr reaches over and gently touches Omega’s hand with his own pale pink one and Omega’s eyes widen when she feels his hand is cold—a lot colder than she expected. The young female clone looks over and sees Maisy point. Hunter races ahead.

The group manages to get back to where they came in from and follow the same path out, going through the basement closet, through the sewers and back to the alleys of the lower levels of Coruscant. The hidden path out of the Temple isn’t known to any outside the Jedi Council and the room isn’t on any maps of the Temple so over the centuries, that knowledge was lost. The only reason Maisy knew of it is because her Master told her. He found it accidentally as a Youngling himself.

“Are we safe yet?” Omega asks and Padawan Wyyntrr makes a small noise before nodding. Omega looks over and sees Maisy still looks upset.

“Maisy? What’s wrong?” Omega asks.

“I’m not cold…the bad dark…it didn’t follow us out but…but…the others—“ Maisy whimpers before crying, wrapping her arms around Tech’s neck. The little girl is hurting and it’s almost instantly that Tech puts his blaster pistol away and gently strokes the back of the little girl’s head.

Elsewhere…

Back on Kamino, Crosshair informs his squad about their latest controversial mission to Ankus.

“What’s so controversial about this mission?” ES-03 asks.

“The Separatist holdout is located in a neutral system,” Crosshair explains. Based on what happened on Onderon, Crosshair’s squad doesn’t question orders.

“Is that a problem?” Crosshair asks when his squad shares a look with each other.

“No…sir,” ES-03 says before nodding at the others and walking out to the hangar, leaving Corsshair alone to get ready.

Since he’s alone, Crosshair takes a moment. The Ankus mission is identical to the one on Onderon. Civilians, innocent people just caught in a wrong place-wrong time situation. The sniper definitely takes issue with violence but he winces in pain and his hand comes up to rub his right temple before sighing. Fine. If the order was to go to Ankus, he’d go to Ankus. Crosshair would do it his way though.

He meets the rest of his new squad in the hangar and the group silently finishes loading the gunship with supplies before boarding and taking off. It’s awkwardly silent between the soldiers but Crosshair doesn’t care. He just thinks about Cody. The sniper wonders all sorts of questions about the commander but most of all, Crosshair just hopes Cody will help him as he feels the ship lurch forward into hyperspace.

Meanwhile…

Maisy’s POV

I feel sad…so sad that…it’s like I don’t feel anything. I’m not even crying. I managed to guide everyone back out but…but it didn’t feel like me. It felt like I wasn’t there. Like it wasn’t real. It couldn’t have been. But…but everyone’s still acting like the other Jedi were all killed and only me and Wyyntrr are left. Tech is carrying me as they walk through alleys and streets of the lower levels before getting to the lifts. I can hear Wyyntrr crying but I look over and see Omega comforting him as Wrecker carries them. The door opens and we hurry inside as the doors whoosh close.

“You’re safe now, Wyyntrr. We’ll protect you,” Omega tells him. I know Omega’s telling the truth but…I can’t get the bodies out of my mind. The bodies of the other Younglings and the Masters that were defending them along with the clones that they managed to kill. I feel the lift move up.

“Maisy?” Tech’s voice pulls me out of remembering the lifeless faces with eyes wide open.

“Are you alright?” Tech asks, “You’re shaking,” he explains, getting everyone’s attention.

“Kid?” Echo asks, concerned. I bury my face into Tech’s neck and whimper, squeezing tighter. I’m just trying to keep my eyes shut, to stop the bad thoughts. I don’t even hear Wyyntrr’s voice.

Tech’s POV

I feel Maisy bury her face into the crook of my neck and whimper quietly.

“Rrr-rrrghh..rraaahh-rrrgg” Commander Wyyntrr says. I flip my visor down and let the lens translate everything the white albino Wookiee says.

“The Force is..unpredictable,” I read and see the Padawan point at Maisy. My eyes widen. The Force. I’ve never been able to understand it. I know it’s what gives the Generals their power and make things float around, but that’s about it since we don’t normally work with the Jedi.

“He says the Force is unpredictable…for Maisy?” I ask and the Wookiee nods once.

“What does that mean?” I ask, but the lift doors open before he could answer and we run out.

“This way-“ Hunter motions and we follow him. I make sure to keep a strong grip on the little girl as she clings to me. I suddenly realize how uncomfortable my armor must feel.

We finally make it back to the garage and shut the door behind us.

“Woah, what’s going on? Did you get into the Temple?” Trace asks as Rafa puts the tool down and walks over. While not as skilled as Trace, Rafa can do basic things like rewire a speeder, bypass simple security systems and such. Wrecker steps forward with the two older kids in his arms and they blink in surprise.

“Who’s that?” Rafa asks.

“This is Wyyntrr..the girls found him when we went into the Temple,” Hunter introduces.

“He’s just a kid,” Trace says and Hunter nods sadly.

“Rex-“ Rafa says, getting his attention. He looks at her with tired, deep dark brown eyes

“Can we talk?” Rafa asks, glancing at the kids. Rex nods and glances at Echo.

“You comin’?” Rex asks, clearly still thinking of Echo as a 501st brother. Echo looks at Hunter, who nods before following the sisters and Rex into the office room.

“Go, we’ll stay with the kids,” Hunter says, glancing at me and I nod, looking over at the Wookiee Commander, thinking on what he said…about the Force…and Youngling Maisy.

“Maisy?” Omega asks, reaching up to put a hand gently on the younger girl’s knee. Maisy’s grip tightens around my neck and she whimpers quietly. I see Omega frown worriedly.

“It…It’s ok,” I tell the Youngling, “we won’t let anything happen to any of you.”

“Tech’s right,” Omega adds enthusiastically.

Rex’s POV

I shut the door behind Echo and look at the Martez sisters.

“Rex, you have to contact Ahsoka,” Rafa insists.

“You know where the Commander is?” Echo asks incredulously.

“No-no-Rafa, you know as well as I do that Ahsoka’s situation…is tricky,” I argue.

“This is an emergency-those kids, they’re Jedi and Ahsoka could help them,” Rafa argues back.

“Rex if you know where Commander Tano is then you have to tell her about the kids,” Echo insists.

“Echo-Commander Tano was banished from the Jedi. She was asked back but…but she didn’t trust them, so she left. She only recently came back and I was helping her when..” I trail off, remembering the horrors of Order 66. Memories of how I nearly killed the Commander—of how we had to bury the bodies of our half of the 501st.

“Order 66?” Echo asks and I nod.

“Rex..we’re soldiers. What are we supposed to do with children? I know Hunter means well, but he’s not thinking realistically. We’re not prepared to raise these kids,” Echo says. I sigh. He has a point.

“That would mean separating them,” I say.

“Yeah..I don’t think that’s going to happen-“ Trace says, looking out the window. I follow her gaze and see Tech holding Maisy on the floor of the garage with the two older kids hugging either side of Tech, wrapping their arms around the pilot and Jedi youngling. Wrecker walks over and sits behind Tech, wrapping his arms around the group and I see Hunter smile. In a different universe, they’d be able to raise those kids without fear of the Empire.

“We still have to go back for Crosshair,” Echo points out, getting my attention.

“Where is he?” I ask.

“Back on Kamino. His inhibitor chip was the only one active on Kaller but we hadn’t seen him since escaping Kamino after removing our chips. We’re not sure what they did to him,” Echo explains. I sigh.

“I can’t locate Commander Tano because I don’t know where she is, truly. She went into hiding after our ship crashed and we buried those that didn’t make it,” I explain.

“That’s where they come in,” I explain, glancing at the Martez sisters, who nod.

“Any clones we come across, we direct to Rex,” Trace explains and I nod.

“And any Jedi, we tell Ahsoka,” Rafa adds.

“In these times, they won’t be safe anywhere,” Echo comments darkly.

“I can send out a distress signal. It’s an old clone captain code of mine. Ahsoka would know it…if she’s listening,” I say.

“Thanks Rex,” Echo nods at me. I feel my lips tug upward in a small smile. I’ve watched lots of my brothers fall. I was there on the Rishi Moon outpost when Cutup, Droidbait and Hevy were killed. I was with Fives…he had tried to warn me-and General Skywalker but I…I didn’t understand. I’d do anything to keep Echo and the rest of them safe, including the kids because none of this is their fault. They shouldn’t have had to go through Order 66 at their age. And now…they are genocide survivors.

3rd POV

Back on the now former Republic gunship, Crosshair waits patiently for the ship to drop out of hyperspace.

“Approaching Ankus, sir,” the sniper hears through the comms in his helmet.

“Good. Here. I’m assigning each of you a sector. East wing, south entrance, roof. We meet inside. Eliminate anyone in your way,” Crosshair orders to a silent squad and from what happened on Onderon, it’s out of fear, not respect.

The ship touches down in the swampy marsh. The doors open and Crosshair steps out first to see a settlement in the distance.

“This way,” he says and leads the squad as quick as he can.

“Commander-what’s the hurry?” A trooper asks but Crosshair doesn’t answer and merely speeds up. Crosshair knows that the faster the mission here is completed, the faster he can get to the nearby planet Dantooine, Commander Cody’s last known whereabouts.

Crosshair’s POV

I let my visor on my helmet guide me until I get to a rocky, vine-covered cliff. I already manage to fire off my ascension cable just as the others catch up. The hook catches up at the top and I pull the trigger of my rifle so the cable pulls me up the face of the cliff. I hear the other cables launch near me, but I try not to think about them. Just finish the mission so I can leave. Just finish.

I get to the top of the cliff and see the wall of the outpost through the vegetation. I use the heat signature function and see at least 20 people inside and patrolling around the wall.

“Split up,” I order the others once they make it to the top as well.

“You two take the north side. We’ll meet at the control center inside,” I point to the left and the TK troopers nod.

“Yes sir,” they reply obediently. They must’ve learned from Onderon not to disobey me. The two disappear into the distance and I look to the remaining TK trooper.

“You, scout ahead,” I order and she nods.

“Yes sir,” she says and hurries off.

Being the sniper, I’m unused to being the leader and on Clone Force 99, I would always bring up the rear, watching our backs. But I focus on completing the mission. It’s the only way I can get help. Faster…I have to go faster. I nearly keep pace with the female TK trooper and she looks at me.

“What’s the rush sir?” She asks.

“Our timing is important,” I snap and at first she’s quiet.

“Understood sir,” she says and speeds up much faster than I anticipated. I blink in surprise and speed up a bit. A small part of me, very deep down and VERY BRIEFLY thinks that she respects me. No. No that can’t be. I shot and killed ES-01 on Onderon. They just fear me. As they should but…but if my plan is going to work…I hope-

“Sir!” I hear a voice through the comms on my helmet snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Yes-“

“I’ve found a weak point in the security system. The ventilation shaft doesn’t have any weight or motion censors. That’s our way in,” the TK trooper partnered with me explains and I’m suddenly reminded of Tech, but I shake that thought away. She opens the vent and climbs in and I take a small breath before following after her.

It’s quiet, the only sound is the slight sound of our armor touching metal. I can hear the other troopers update me on their position and every so often, I can hear blaster fire through the comms but it eventually stops.

“Sir, I believe we’re just a corridor away from the central control panel,” the trooper whispers. After a bit more crawling, we arrive at a grate in the vent and open it. I drop through the opening and we look around.

“Report ES-03,” I order through my helmet comms. I hear two shots fire off before a quiet moment passes.

“ES-03?” I ask again but that’s when the door whooshes open and I see the other troopers walk in.

“We have infiltrated the base successfully,” ES-03 says.

“We must sweep the base for any remaining insurgents-“ ES-04 suggests.

“It’s faster to send out a fake emergency call. Sound the evacuation alarms,” I order and no one questions me this time. An alert alarm rings throughout the building.

“ES-03-“ I say, getting the TK trooper’s attention.

“Take the north corridor-I’m taking the south-“ I order and make my way through the southern wing to the landing pads.

I make it outside when the commlink in my helmet comes on.

“Sir, there’s no one else here-“ I hear.

“The base is secured. Hold it until further orders,” I instruct.

“Understood sir-but-..where are you?”

“I’ve got a new mission-alone,” I add hastily.

“ES-03 is in charge while I’m away,” I announce.

“Yes sir,” I hear the obedient replies through the comms and hurry over to a nearby transport shuttle and power it up. I put in the coordinates for Dantooine, Commander Cody’s last known whereabouts before flying the ship up and off planet. I feel a twinge of pain flare up through my temples. I completed my earlier mission, so why does it still hurt?

Back at the Lower Levels of Coruscant…

3rd POV

CF99 and the kids say their goodbyes to the Martez sisters and the group makes their way back to the Marauder from the lower levels of Coruscant. Padawan Wyyntrr mumbles sadly and sighs as Omega looks at him, then at Tech.

“He’s asking what’s going to happen to them now that the Jedi Temple is destroyed-“ Tech explains cautiously looking at Hunter.

“We’re…not going to decide anything right now,” Hunter answers when he notices Echo and Rex talking in hushed tones.

“We’ll look after you kids for now…until we do decide what would be best,” Hunter assures the kids and Tech nods.

“I could really use your help Echo,” Rex whispers quietly to the ARC trooper, who nods.

“I know. If there’s a chance he’s still alive…then we have to go back into the Temple ourselves. We’ll leave the kids with Hunter and the others,” Echo says and Rex nods in agreement.

Speaking of the children, Omega gently puts a hand on Wyyntrr’s shoulder as he picks up Maisy, who clings to him and buries her head into his thick, curly snow-white fur. The albino Wookiee uses one arm to hold the Youngling and the other to cup the back of her head gently with his pale pink hand.

Omega’s POV

As we make our way back to the Marauder, I look over at the Jedi and see Maisy keeps her head buried into Wyyntrr’s thick, white curly fur and she’s clinging to him so tight her knuckles are white. I don’t say anything. How could I? After what we saw at the Temple…all the destruction and death….the bodies we passed. We saw it all. And Wyyntrr…he could’ve been here…all this time. Maybe he was here when it happened. Now…all the Jedi are gone…it’s just Maisy and Wyyntrr left.

I’m not sure why but I feel the overwhelming sense to protect them. Perhaps it was all those years on Kamino. The others…the soldiers, they were taught that the Jedi were our superiors. That their job is to protect others so we must protect them. At least, that’s what I’ve thought. I don’t have a lot of memories of the Jedi personally because Nala Se often kept me confined in her secret laboratory. I would get to go to the mess hall to eat or make very occasional trips to the library. It was during those times when I was out that I would see a Jedi. I believe her name is Jedi Master Shaak Ti. I got to see her once briefly in passing. We never spoke to each other. I never really got to see the Jedi’s powers. I’d heard they could do amazing things…things no ordinary human can do. But I never saw…not until-

My mind flashes to Crosshair choking, gasping for air before flashing to Maisy, her hand outstretched towards him. I managed to get her to stop by grabbing hold of her and picking her up but I’ll always remember it. It was like Crosshair couldn’t do anything despite nothing being around him. I shake my head slightly to clear the memory when I hear Maisy whimper. I put a hand gently on her shoulder.

“We’ve got you. It’s ok. We’re here,” I say and Wyyntrr grunts and nods in agreement as his grip tightens slightly in a reassuring..big brother..type of way. I look between them and I realize why I felt the need to protect them. It’s not because of Kamino or what the Kaminoans told the other clones about the Jedi…it’s because we’re family.

We finally get back to the Marauder.

“Hunter, can we talk?” Echo asks. I look between Echo and Rex and then finally Hunter. He nods and turns to Tech and Wrecker.

“Take the kids inside,” Hunter says and Tech nods, escorting Wyyntrr up the stairs. I watch as he cautiously walks up the steps.

“C’mon kid,” Wrecker tells me when I look back at Rex, Echo and Hunter. I look back up at Wrecker and nod before following the others inside. Wrecker follows behind me and I watch as Tech escorts Wyyntrr over to an empty seat. I walk over and sit next to Wyyntrr, who’s still keeping a firm grip on Maisy.

“I’m going to reset the fuel log and nav computer,” Tech announces before walking into the cockpit. I notice Wrecker looking a bit nervous so I motion to come sit with us. He nods and immediately walks over. I move over and once he sits down, I climb into his lap. Wyyntrr seems to notice and shifts Maisy so he can also climb into Wrecker’s lap. The demolitions and weapons expert wraps his arms around me and Wyyntrr.

3rd POV

Hunter watches Wrecker and Tech escort the kids onto the Marauder, leaving the sergeant with Echo and Rex.

“What’s going on?” Hunter asks.

“Hunter. The troopers at the Temple…they were 501st. Rex and I think that one of us might still be at the Temple. But we had to get the kids out of there and now that they’re safe, Rex and I want to go back before it gets swarmed by Imps,” Echo explains.

“And before you start to argue, we have to do this, no matter what you say,” Rex adds.

“Actually, I was going to apologize for not being able to go with you…but I can’t leave those kids. They need us,” Hunter explains and the 2 others nod understandingly.

“We know,” Echo says and looks to his captain.

“Here. These are coordinates to someone who can help you,” Rex explains, handing Hunter a data chip. The sergeant looks at the chip then at Rex.

“Who?” Hunter asks.

“A deserter. We met during the War,” Rex explains then glances at the Marauder.

“And he’s got kids,” Rex adds.

“So?” Hunter asks and all Rex does is smirk and let a small chuckle escape his lips.

“I always forget that you boys haven’t worked with the Jedi Commanders before. Trust me. He’ll be helpful in more ways than one,” Rex says.

“We’ll rendezvous with you at those coordinates once we’ve searched the whole Temple,” Echo says.

“Who…who is it?” Hunter asks.

“Kix..my medic,” Rex says and Hunter nods, remembering the soldier well from the Anaxes mission to rescue Echo.

“I hope you find him. In the meantime, we’ll be waiting for you,” Hunter says, flashing the data chip with the coordinates on it and Echo nods, offering a hand. They grip forearms and shake brotherly.

“Thanks Hunter, I’ll be back,” Echo assures the sergeant who nods with a small knowing smile before parting ways.

Hunter’s POV

I watch Rex and Echo head back towards the seemingly endless maze of streets before turning back to the Havoc Marauder. We’ll need to disappear. Hopefully Rex’s contact can help us with that. I walk back into the Marauder and see Wrecker with the kids while Tech is up in the cockpit messing with the nav computer. Deciding not to disturb Wrecker or the kids, I decide to join Tech in the cockpit.

“I’m almost done with the fuel log and nav computer,” Tech says and I nod once before handing him the data chip.

“What’s this?” the pilot asks.

“Coordinates for a contact of Rex’s. It’s a place where we can lay low and wait to regroup with the two once they find Kix,” I explain and Tech adjusts his goggles.

“Kix, CT-6116 from Anaxes?” Tech asks and I nod.

“Rex believes he’s back at the Temple, but it’s too dangerous for the kids so we’re going to wait with Rex’s contact until they return,” I explain.

“Who is the contact and how do you know we can trust them?” Tech asks.

“Rex trusts him. Besides, he said that the contact is a deserter,” I tell my brother.

“A deserter?” I don’t miss the concern laced in his tone.

“Yeah, why? It’s not like we’re not deserters either,” I argue back rationally.

“True enough,” Tech admits and nods.

“I’ll input the coordinates-“ Tech says, tossing the chip and catching it with one hand. I nod and walk over to the kids.

I wasn’t prepared for the Temple and if I could go back, I never would’ve taken the kids there. I know we found Wyyntrr there and Omega’s a medical assistant, but they’re both only 11 and shouldn’t have had to experience that, especially Wyyntrr and Maisy since they probably know the slain Jedi. And Maisy…she’s only 4. As I silently approach, Wrecker opens his eyes and he immediately makes eye contact with me.

“The baby Jedi’s are asleep,” Wrecker whispers. I look and see Omega looking at them.

“Will they be alright?” Omega asks me quietly.

“They will with time…and if we help them,” I assure Omega, who smiles.

“Because we’re a family?” She asks and I nod. The young female clone looks at the two Jedi kids and a look of fondness washes over her.

“It might not always be easy,” I warn but Omega nods.

“I know,” she replies easily but with a knowing look in her deep, shining, dark brown eyes. The same eyes we all share.

3rd POV

In hyperspace, Crosshair stares out the window. Crosshair winces in pain and he rubs his temple. He can’t stop thinking about what the Kaminoans, specifically Nala Se, did to him back on Kamino. The others stayed with that kid. He sighs irritatedly so he keeps his thoughts on Commander Cody. While they weren’t exactly close, the sniper knows that the former Marshal Commander of the GAR would help him. The commander took an interest in the ‘defective’ squad when he first learned of them from 99, before his passing.

The ship Crosshair took from Ankus drops out of hyperspace as it arrives at Dantooine and heads to the coordinates the 212th troopers gave him. Commander Cody’s last known whereabouts. While the sniper flies the ship in through the atmosphere of the planet, his mind doesn’t fail to remind him how grateful he should be to Cody because he doesn’t have any friends or contacts, even within the army. Echo’s voice of reason rings in Crosshair’s head.

“If your squad pushes away our brothers, you won’t have anyone to rely on,” the ARC trooper had told Crosshair when they first met, on the Anaxes mission. Out of everyone, Crosshair’s severe and unyielding personality make it hard for him to admit when he has a shortcoming. But in this case, when he can’t even rely on his own squad…it would be beneficial to have contacts other than squad mates. The sniper made a mental note to talk with Echo the next time he saw him.

Crosshair watches the scenery through the windshield before deciding to take over and shut off the autopilot. He’d seen Tech fly the Marauder enough and even picked up a few of Tech’s tricks. His dark brown eyes shine as he scans the area before glancing at the nav computer console. Crosshair sees the dot of the location he’s heading towards as well as the blinking dot of the ship.

It starts to rain as Crosshair touches the ship down in a grassy plain next to a river connecting to a small lake. Crosshair initiates the landing sequence and feels the ship lurch to a stop on the ground before hearing the bay door open. Rain blows in, hitting the loading ramp. He grabs his helmet and rifle and hurries out into the rain.

He heads to the exact coordinates and spots a clearing in the tall golden grass, about 50ft away from the ship. The sniper sees signs that someone was there. Footsteps, a small burn spot of ash from what used to be a fire that’s gone out. Crosshair sees another footstep before a trail of bent blades of grass and follows the trail. Tracking, something he’d seen Hunter do since they were cadets in training on Kamino. While he’s grateful for any help at this point, Crosshair had hoped that Hunter and the rest of the squad would’ve tried harder to understand the sniper’s point of view.

Crosshair keeps his rifle out and ready just in case. The tracks stop at a small flowing river and Crosshair sighs but he spots a smoke trail rising towards the sky in the distance. That’s as good a place as any to start looking. Crosshair didn’t actually think Cody would be at the coordinates, but the sniper had hoped the commander didn’t leave the planet. But Crosshair trusted the coordinate information because Cody often talked fondly of the 212th, as well as the 501st and anyone Cody trusts must be worthy of it.

As the sniper keeps a brisk pace through the grassy plains, Crosshair speeds up with every pulse of pain through his right temple. This cannot be normal, he thinks to himself. Something is wrong.

By the time Crosshair can see the silhouette of the village in the distance, the pain is so intense, taking a step hurts. He groans and rubs his head. Crosshair’s rifle is now barely in his grip and his helmet is under his arm. The breeze provides a nice coolness that in reality does very little, but it allows Crosshair to take a focusing breath when he becomes lightheaded and dizzy. Whatever Nala Se had done to the inhibitor chip was now clearly aversely affecting Crosshair and he needed to get help now. Crosshair ignores the pain long enough to focus on the distance to the village.

The sun starts to set and Crosshair sighs with relief when the sun finally sets. The sunlight was aggravating his headache but wearing his helmet made his lightheadedness nauseating. Crosshair nearly stumbles into the village before collapsing onto his knees. He groans as everything feels like it’s spinning.

Shut your eyes and take slow breaths.

That was what Crosshair told Hunter when his senses got overstimulated. Following that advice, Crosshair shuts his eyes and braces himself before taking a slow breath. The pulsing pain remains for a moment before slowing and lessening in severity.

Crosshair’s POV

I have to shut my eyes and take a slow breath. The ringing in my ears is deafening. I feel a bit nauseous. I’m so focused on the pain that I don’t even register someone approaching me.

“Oss-air…Cross-….Crosshair-“ I hear a familiar voice. I lift my head but keep my eyes shut. I open my eyes with a wince. I’ve got a bit of double vision going on and everything is a bit fuzzy, but I don’t miss the unmistakable deep, bright dark eyes of a clone staring at me with concern. As my vision focuses, I’m able to see the large scar running down the man’s forehead and to his cheekbone.

“C-Cody? Commander Cody?” I ask weakly.

“It’s ok, I’ve got ya,” he tells me before moving next to me. I feel his hands wrap underneath my arms and haul me to my feet. Cody groans slightly and that’s when I see his left leg is wrapped in a bandage. It goes from his ankle all the way up to his mid thigh and I realize he’s hurt.

“You’re injured-“ I comment and he nods.

“Yeah nothing that won’t heal in time but you look like you got hit by a freighter ship. Come with me,” he tells me.

As we walk through the small village, I look around and take in the surroundings. Mostly small shops mixed in with housing either next to or on top of the shops. It’s not really crowded either and I spot some rusty droids every other alleyway.

“What are you doing here Cross? What happened? Where’s the rest of Clone Force 99?” Cody asks as we hobble down the stone street.

“Everything fell apart during Order 66,” I explain and I see Cody’s face harden.

“Were you on Utapau with General Kenobi when it happened?” I ask and he merely nods, avoiding my eyes.

“I…don’t have a lot of regrets in my life but…that was one of them,” Cody says and I look at him with a quizzical look.

“Look, good soldiers follow orders. But what separated us from the battle droids we fought is that we can make our own choices and that’s important now more than ever,” Cody tells me.

“Why’s that?” I ask.

“Because the Jedi that protected us are gone now. The government that ordered our creation has disintegrated. We have to protect each other now that the galaxy has changed,” Cody explains and I think on his words. He…does have a point.

“Tell me something Crosshair,” the commander says, getting my attention.

“Why are you here?” He asks.

“To find you…sir,” I answer and he cocks his head at me, raising an eyebrow.

“I…I knew without the rest of the squad, I had to find someone I could trust,” I explain.

“But..why?”

“Because…the Kaminoans did something to me…and…and it’s only getting worse-“ I say as my free hand instinctively comes up to rub my aching temple. The pulsing pain makes it hard to concentrate.

“I need your help,” I beg and Cody nods.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do what I can-“ he says looking around. I see his eyes widen.

“Ah! We’re almost there-“ he comments.

“Mmhmm,“ I acknowledge since nodding my head would’ve been too painful.

With my left arm draped over Cody’s shoulders so he can take my weight, he has us turn down a small alley and walk down all the way until it gets to a dead end. I look and see a rusty door that looks abandoned.

“We’re here,” Cody says and presses the door pad. The door whooshes up with a slight squeak that grates against my ears, but I don’t say anything because at this point, I’m just so happy to have found Cody…or that he found me.

The place is a small one room building with a sink, a couple chairs, and a rickety looking wooden table that’s scratched up like war-ravaged armor.

“It’s not much but it’s a good place to rest that none of the locals really cares about,” Cody says and I nod.

“How long have you been here?” I ask as he gently sets me down in one of the chairs.

“I left Utapau just after Order 66. I tried to convince the men with me to come with but after that we were to report to Kamino. I went with them and…and when we got back…everything…everyone was different,” Cody explains.

“I was demoted because there’s no need for a marshal commander when there’s no GAR but Governor Tarkin assured me I still had a place within the Empire by assigning me and ghost squadron a mission on Dantooine. But, the more I thought about what happened on Utapau, the more upset I got,” Cody explains.

“I got injured after falling from a cliff and told everyone else to complete the mission. I gave Crys my last known coordinates and told them to return to Kamino without me,” Cody says.

“Why? Why didn’t you go back with the others once they finished the mission?” I ask.

“Because I’m going back to Utapau. At least, once my leg heals up,” he adds, gently rubbing his leg.

“You’re going back to Utapau?! Why in all the galaxy would you go back? You could easily rise through the ranks of the Empire,” I ask, surprised he’d even suggest such a thing.

“I…I have to go back and look for General Kenobi. I ordered to shoot him down. I took a couple shots myself as he fell. I looked into the water he fell in and saw no sign of him,” Cody answers seriously. I’m reminded of what happened on Kaller. I didn’t see, but Hunter told me he shot the padawan and he fell off the rocky cliffs. I don’t believe him. A wave of pain makes me wince and I groan slightly. Cody frowns.

“You said the Kaminoans did something to you…do you remember what?” Cody asks.

“I…I saw Nala Se…in the halls. She took me and enhanced the inhibitor chip—I…I knew what was happening but…but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything-“ I explain, rubbing my temple. Cody nods and pulls up one of the wooden floorboards to reveal a small container. I watch as he pulls up the other chair and sits directly across from me. He opens the rusty container and I see some medical supplies. He pulls out a stimpack and gives me an apologetic look.

“Sorry-“ Cody says.

“For what-AGH!” I ask but he suddenly injects the needle into the side of my neck. I feel the cold pinch before the cold liquid numbs the pain enough that I sigh with relief.

“What…what is that?” I ask.

“A local concoction. After what happened with my leg, a few locals from this village found me and brought me back here. Their healers have been looking after me, making sure I don’t overdo it. It’s a mix of medicinal grasses and oils from seed pods from the plains surrounding the village,” Cody explains.

“What’s this ‘inhibitor chip’?” The Marshal Commander asks curiously.

“I…I’m not really sure but…but it’s..it’s here-“ I say, pointing to my right temple.

“Nala Se did something to it before taking it out-“ I tell him.

“But whatever she did…it’s permanent,” I add.

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna do everything I can. But I don’t have the right tools. There’s a machine chop shop in the village square. I can get a scanner and start working in about an hour. You think you can hang on ‘til then?” Cody asks me.

“I’ll be ok. But your leg-“

“I’ll be alright—just try and relax. I’ve got a canteen of water by the bed-“ Cody points and without waiting, I hurry as fast as I can over and grab the metal can. I unscrew it and take a swig before putting the cap back and holding the canister to my temple. The cool metal feels good against the hot pulsing pain.

“Here’s the medical supplies in case you need anything. Sorry I don’t really have anything to eat-“ Cody says, limping over as he sets the supply box next to me on the old mattress in the corner. The thought of food makes my stomach churn and I guess my face must’ve shown it because Cody nods.

“Or not—sorry. I’ll be right back,” Cody says, grabbing a sturdy stick and walking out with a slight limp.

Once I’m sure I’m alone and Cody isn’t coming back for a while, I let the first of many tears form and fall from my eyes. I didn’t want to say anything but…what Nala Se did…it was the first time in a long time that I felt afraid. And I don’t have my brothers with me. They probably hated me for what I did on Kamino. But they don’t know what happened to me. How could they have known? I lay on the lumpy old mattress, waiting, hoping Cody comes back soon because even though the stim helped, I can still feel the pulsing pain as I think about the inhibitor chip. Good soldiers follow orders…don’t they?

3rd POV

CF99 gets the Havoc Marauder out of Coruscant’s atmosphere before going into hyperspace, following the coordinates Rex gave Hunter. The kids are sleeping on the floor of the gunners mount, huddled together in a snuggle pile.

“I hope Echo comes back with Rex soon,” Wrecker comments as he glances at the kids.

“He’s had the most experience with children out of all of us,” Tech adds and Hunter sighs.

“Don’t worry. Once we get to the coordinates Rex gave us, we’ll figure out what to do…now that we know the Jedi Temple isn’t safe,” Hunter says.

Maisy whimpers sadly and clings to Wyyntrr’s shaggy, curly fur on his arm and Omega’s tunic sleeve as she sleeps between the two. She gasps awake, bolting upright, clawing at the air. Hunter notices first.

“Hey-easy-easy-it’s ok-you’re ok,” Hunter assures the younger girl before she starts crying quietly. He approaches and that’s when the Youngling stretches her arms out, wanting to be held. Hunter easily grabs hold of the little girl and holds her close against his chest plate.

“It’s just a bad dream,” Hunter tries to assure the girl, who clings even tighter to the sergeant.

“Don’t leave me…please…don’t leave please-please-please-please-“ the Youngling begs.

“Shh-sshh little one, we’re not going to let anything happen to you or Wyyntrr or Omega. You’re our kids now,” Hunter says, wrapping his free arm around the little girl with his hand holding the back of her head.

“We’re on approach to sector J19,” Tech announces as the two older kids wake up as well.

“Maisy?”

“Rrrgh?” They ask as Omega looks around. Wyyntrr points, not looking in that direction so Omega does. She sees Hunter holding Maisy and a worried look crosses the female clone’s face.

“It’s ok, she just had a bad dream,” Wrecker tells Omega as she swings her legs over the side before hopping down. Wyyntrr follows and the older kids approach Hunter and Maisy as the ship drops out of Hyperspace.

“Approaching a planet called Saleukami,” Tech says.

“Saleukami? Never heard of it,” Wrecker says.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be safe here,” Omega says, patting Maisy’s leg.

“First we need to find this contact of Rex’s,” Hunter reminds the girl.

“That shouldn’t be too hard. The coordinates have us touching down just east of 25 acres of farmland,” Tech explains, causing Hunter and Wrecker to exchange a wary look.

End.

Chapter 4

Chapter Index

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