Chapter 03

Contruum/ 19 BBY/ 12 hours after Contingency Order: 66

Before stepping out of the mist and back onto the street, Sev leaned through the exit and scanned. After nodding his head at his companion, both he and Keilbourn strode out with their masks in place once again.

"To Dxun?" Sev muttered.

"To Dxun," Keilbourn replied.

"Do we need to get anything; Weapons, supplies, credits?"

"Got us covered. You wouldn't think I'd have gone on covert ops without my own personal armory would you," Keilbourn scoffed.

"Yeah about that," Sev slurred. The Twi'lek drink was far more potent than he could have imagined. "Your ship, aint she registered?" Keilbourn looked at his companion with insult written on his face.

"Do I look stupid?" Sev looked the former ARC up and down, taking in the sloppy civilian dress.

"Ask me that again," Sev mused. Suddenly the distinct hum of a LAAT flying close over the low city roared in their ears. Their paranoia caused the Clones to jump and spin into cover in an alley-way. As they were about to step back into the street, a patrol of seven newly dubbed 'Stormtroopers' charged down the road.

"Go, go, down that alley!" one hollered. Instinctively, the both of them reached for their concealed blasters. As the Troopers continued down the road, one of the Troopers stopped and confronted the spacers.

"You two!" he demanded. Sev immediately considered the trouble of speaking in the same cloned voice as their enemy. "A Jedi ran down this way did you see it?" Sev panicked, considering just shooting the Trooper. Before he drew his blaster however, Keilbourn stepped forward.

"Can't say I did, sorry mate," the former ARC growled in a grisly disguised voice. The Trooper lingered for another moment; surveying Sev from behind his helmet.

"Stay out of our way," he barked before turning and marching down the street after his comrades. After a second passed, Sev sighed in relief.

"Feirfek," the former Commando swore. "Did you see his rank? Could you imagine if that little chizk private would have known who we are, he'd been kissing our shebs," Sev growled angrily.

"They're hunting a Jedi," Keilbourn muttered thoughtfully. Sev looked at him and frowned.

"Should we do something?" Keilbourn looked back at him.

"Do we want that kind of attention?" he asked.

"Well, I wouldn't mind snapping his neck," Sev mused darkly.

CT-54387 was hot on the trail, along with the other six of his platoon. Every Clone of the GAR was aware and mostly excited for the reformation. The Empire seemed like a step up, and meant more exciting work for him. As a result of the New Order, the Chancellor, now under the title of Emperor Palpatine, had quickly deployed his Stormtroopers all over the galaxy to crucial strategic locations. Contruum was one of them. The Emperor wanted claim over the planet's supply of Borium mines. CT-54387 was there as part of the policing initiative. When his patrol got the word of a Jedi seeking refuge in the canyon city just clicks away, they mobilized and chased the Jedi from one end of the canyon nearly to the other.

"87, take the right flank, we'll cut it off!" his comrade called out. CT-87 and two others broke from the initial patrol and ran around the building on the right flank. They would take the wide bend and intersect the Jedi from the rear while the others caught up. The tree made the sprint nearing in on the convergence point. With their DC-15As leveled, they snapped around the corner with gins on their faces that quickly dropped away. Where the Jedi was supposed to be and the rest of his patrol was only a dark, silent dead end.

"What the-," CT-87 had managed to say before getting shot down by a blaster to the head. The other two Clones fired their rifles blindly into the dark spot where the glow of the single bolt had illuminated the outline of a person. However in the bursts of blaster bolts, the outline had vanished. The other two troopers ceased firing and glanced to each other quizzically. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around the neck of one of the Troopers, as he silently struggled from the lack of air, he fired his rifle haphazardly. The figure holding the helpless Trooper captive then seized the blaster and fired a single shot center mass at the other Trooper. In a clutter of armor, he fell dead, followed by a sudden snap and thump as a second body dropped. The figure slunk back into the shadows. Suddenly from around the corner, a robed, concealed individual panting and heaving for breath, nearly crashed into the wall. As it noticed the fallen bodies of three Clone Troopers, it hesitated. Seconds later, the clamber of footsteps erupted around the corner, carrying with them the other four Troopers of the patrol. The lead Trooper swore as he slowly approached the Jedi with his blaster leveled.

"You'll pay for that, Scum," he growled. Out of nowhere a blaster went off and an orange bolt soared and killed the Trooper. As he dropped, the two flanking Troopers were suddenly seized by hidden figures. In an impressive display of combat, each was quickly and covertly subdued. The third turned around on his heel, shaking as he leveled his DC-15A. As the broken Clones were tossed aside by their attackers, one of the figures grasped the blaster's extended barrel. In a swift move, the blaster was seized and swung hard on the head of the Trooper. He went down hard, crumpled into a ball as the attacker then shot him. The Jedi looked out from its state of shock to just in time catch a glimpse of one of the fallen Clones quickly leveling his sidearm. With a wave of the hand, the blaster flew from his grip. The Clone's outcry caught the figures' attention. With his blaster pistol, Sev fired a single shot to the Troopers head. With a thud, the helmeted head dropped; smoke softly rising from the scorch mark. Keilbourn dropped the DC-15A and slowly approached the Jedi.

"You hurt?" he asked in his natural yet rasped voice.

"No," the Jedi replied. To the former ARC's astonishment, the voice was young. At a second glance, the both of them realized just how young this Jedi was. Curled in a ball of shock, it looked even smaller. With small, soft, light green hands, the hood of its robe was removed to reveal a young, Mirialan girl; no older than thirteen. Her face was equally green, draped by dark black hair. Her brown eyes looked up into Keilbourn's equally brown eyes. As his was a reflection of the pain of war, hers reflected the agony and torment of loss. Sev looked again closer at the girl.

"Feirfek now they're killing kids!" he growled as he kicked one of the fallen, armored bodies. While crouched next to the Jedi, Keilbourn lowered the mask under his jaw. Her eyes suddenly grew with hate.

"Get away from me!" she cried.

"No, no," Keilbourn said softly. "We're not going to hurt you," he consoled, grasping her by the shoulders. Sev too lowered his mask and placed his goggles on his forehead.

"We're not like them." Sev added with another kick at the dead body.

"Is there anymore we can do for you," Keilbourn asked in a rush as he helped lift the girl to her feet. Still with a face of confusion, she shook her head.

"No. Thank you, but you've done quite enough." Quickly she raised her hood over her black hair and turned to depart. Before sprinting away she turned back to her rescuers again. "May the Force be with you," she called out. With a spin on her heels, she was gone. Watching after her Sev sighed.

"You know she won't survive on her own," Sev said grimly. Keilbourn continued to watch her as she ran away. With bitterness, he replied.

"I know."