Hey all! I'm posting this because it's been an idea tugging at my brain for about a month now. It includes Clone Wars characters, but actually takes place during Rebels. I might change the category to Rebels if I continue. So... sorry if you haven't watched Rebels, I guess? No big spoilers.

Disclaimer: Angst. Also, Disney owns Star Wars.

(Published 11.10.18)

Moonshine

Numa screamed as another of her kin was gunned down. Bringing her blaster to her side, she ran through blaster fire to the woman, only a bit older than herself.

"Alee!" she yelled, kneeling at her side. "Make it through," she urged in Ryl.

Blood flowed from Alee's head where it had cracked open when she hit the ground, and there was a burning hole in her chest. "Free Ryloth," she hissed, eyes glazing over. "Free Ryloth for us."

Rage boiling over her, Numa growled cursed, and shot two incoming stormtroopers through the head and the chest, respectively. Suddenly, thunder rumbled and Numa came to the realization that she was the only Twi'lek left standing.

"No." She resisted the urge to fall o the ground with her fallen brothers and sisters, but tears freely fell down her face. Cham had trusted her with these people.

And then she saw him - the lone stormtrooper in the gorge. She raised her blaster, and the soldier put up his arms in defeat.

Voice crackling, she taunted in Basic, "What will you do now, Imperial scum? Plead and beg for mercy?"

"No," said the stormtrooper. "I only ask that you help me. There's a storm coming, and if you want to survive, I'm your best chance."

"Why don't I just kill you now and take your pack?" She nudged her head in the direction of the pack on the Imperial's back.

"I know how to use these supplies," said the voice from behind the helmet, weary with age and yet achingly familiar. It was a weak argument, but somewhat true. There were some things that Numa didn't understand about regulations and all that. "If you direct me to the nearest safe place, we can both be sheltered. You have a nasty gash on your cheek."

She felt her face and looked down at her and, seeing the blood. "What you suggest is highly treasonous." When the trooper didn't say anything, she stubbornly said, "Fine. I won't kill you. Yet."

"Well. I'll take that as a compliment, then," he said in the same dry humor that Numa had heard all those years ago when…

"Let's go, Imperial."

On Ryloth, it didn't usually rain, but when it did, it poured.

The Twi'lek woman led them to the end of the gorge, where a series of caves intertwined.

"Here," she said. "We can make camp here." She threw her small satchel onto a rock, purposely keeping her blaster pistol in her hand. As for him, he flung down his pack and blaster and collapsed, breathing hard. Now, he didn't care if he died. Not really.

"What's your name?" said the woman.

Although confused, he replied, "TK-114." Once, he had gone by a name… his brothers had called him Boil.

But that was a long time ago.

The Twi'lek chuckled drily. "A number. Of course." She paused. "Can you take off your helmet?"

"Why would I do that?" he asked. "And why would you want to see my face?" No one wanted to see an old clone's face.

"I want to know my adversary," she said, but Boil knew that there was some other reason.

He took of his helmet.

The Twi'lek let out a shriek and suddenly her face was in her hands.

"What?" Boil asked, even more confused. There was nothing to see; a clone was a clone.

"You - you're a clone!" she said, peeking through her fingers.

He nodded. "Got a problem with that?"

"No, it's just…" The woman's face began to pale and she dropped her blaster. "Two clones saved my life when I was a child."

Suddenly, the woman's entire person came into question. Boil took in her short stature, blue-green skin, color of her eyes, the tooka painted on her shoulder, and the orange Phase I clone armor on her arm…

No. It couldn't be.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this, Imperial," she scoffed. "You wouldn't even know Waxer and Boil."

"Numa?!" he blurted out, breathing hard.

Her hands instinctively went for her blaster. "How the kriff do you know my name?"

"Numa." He put his hands to his chest as he had when he had tried to explain something to her in Basic back on Ryloth all those years ago. "I'm Boil. Nerra."

A faded memory: I'm Waxer. This is Boil.

Her eyes widened, hands going to her blaster again. "No." Tears welled up in her eyes. "No way. My Boil wouldn't be part of an oppressive regime."

"My Numa was a small girl who couldn't speak Basic." It was true. Numa was a woman now, no longer that girl who had been separated from her family. She was a fighter. Now, look at him. A coward, a fool who had stayed with the Empire because of Order 66. "You still have that armor. And you painted that tooka doll on your shoulder."

She began to walk to him, and he stood up. "Nerra," she said, voice cracking violently. "Nerra! Boil!"

"Numa."

With that, they embraced, both sobbing.

In all of Boil's short life in an old body, it was his happiest moment.

Short but sweet. I love the Innocents of Ryloth episode, it's easily one of my favorite early-on Clone Wars episodes. Numa, Waxer, and Boil are so cute.

Anyway, if I get a lot of reviews, I'll continue with the story. If you want this continued, please let me know what you think!

May the Force be with you and God bless.

-HH