This is Not Our Fate

"These are tough times. A man can get a job. He might not look too close at what that job is.

But a man learns all the details of a situation like ours... well... then he has a choice."

-from "The Train Job" - Firefly

Chapter 12. A Winter of Discontent

Pantora's peace was an illusion.

Subsumed into the Empire upon the fall of the Republic, Pantora tried to weather the storm of change, to quietly continue its existence without interruption. Its leaders posed no challenge, its people made no threat. Though there was little enough welcome, neither outrage nor defiance was shown. Like many, the people of Pantora were tired of war, and were relieved to see the bloody Clone Wars come to an end. That attempt to soldier on had long since faltered and failed, as it had on so many worlds. Once widely affluent during the days of the Republic, Pantora now suffered under the control of the governor appointed to the Sujimis Sector, with each Chairman of their Assembly burdened more and more heavily under the yoke of the Empire. The loss of power and prestige chafed against them, and everywhere there were whispers of discontent.

The governor merely tightened his control at the whispers; there was no rebellion, though there was no friendliness. They were quiet little aliens, living on their frosty little moon, wealthy and spoiled from their prosperity during the days of the Republic. He paid no attention to the grumblings. Ignored the ripples of anger that began to build when Senator Chuchi died under mysterious circumstances, a death too many believed was no accident. The forced retirement of Chairman Papanoida for a more docile leader brought only a deepening of the Pantorans' suspicion, a resentment of the Empire and the leaders it foisted upon them.

Cody sipped his hot caf and tried to hide his smile behind the curve of his cup; Pantora had never been weak. As a people, they did not lash out wildly. They bided their time, and collected information. The intelligence network Papanoida had built for himself long ago was fragmented, but not eliminated. Those based on Pantora itself watched, and waited, and spun a web of spies, casting them out across first the Sujimis Sector, then further into nearby systems in the Outer Rim. With Papanoida himself secreted away from the rest of the world by a cadre of Imperials, there was no clear head to the resistance. Information gathered was left to be collected by whoever could pay for it.

Pantora was becoming a place to barter and trade information. Despite Imperial restrictions on trade in the area, Pantoran ports remained open, and drifters, mercenaries, travelers, spacers and bounty hunters flowed through.

He set his caf down, picked up a fork and began to stir the meal in front of him. The dive was a complete hole in the wall, a run-down café in a not-so-pleasant part of the capitol, all bare walls and mismatched chairs. Cody hadn't understood its' popularity until he tried the food.

Breakfast was brought out to him in a steaming skillet, a raw nuna egg shining on top of a mound of sprouts, bean curd and minced nerf, with some kind of vibrant green vegetable leaves wilted throughout. All lay on a bed of gingery, spiced rice. The egg cooked into the piping food as he stirred, and he breathed in the piquant smell of it, feeling it flood his sinuses. His mouth watered, and he scooped up a forkful, closing his mouth around the rice and nerf and egg, enjoying the stinging on his tongue and the back of his throat. His eyes watered a little, but he grinned. He wasn't entirely sure what the spice was, but mixed in with everything else, it was deliciously bracing.

The caf was excellent too, served in a plain, unassuming ceramic mug. He rolled a mouthful of the thickened liquid around his tongue, trying to determine what was in it. Something sweet and rich, as well as quite minty. He suspected the sweet, rich flavor was from the thick, almost syrupy creamer stirred in, and the minty flavor belonging to the beans themselves. When he'd asked the waitress about it, she'd merely winked at him and told him it was a Pantoran specialty. He'd convinced her to sell him a pound of the caf beans, imported from the Southern continent. The package was now safely stored in his pack.

This was the third time he'd had a meal here, though it was likely to be a long time before he was able to again. He glanced at his chrono; he had four hours before Rex and Ahsoka were scheduled to arrive for pickup and debriefing. He'd be spending a few days with them on the Drake after this, to help with picking up a fresh weapons shipment from the Corellian, Artos Esus.

The door opened with a rush of winter air, and Cody shivered as it gusted past. It was still early in the morning, and increasing numbers of people were moving past on the skywalk outside, occasionally popping in to grab the day's first cup of caf. Though most of those who moved by the frosted window were Pantoran, the occasional non-Pantoran walked by as well, the spaceport in the city doing a regular business from hyperspace lane traffic. His fork hesitated halfway to his mouth for a moment as he saw who walked in. Unlike the Pantorans, who seemed, at best, dismissive of the cold weather, the Kyuzo was bundled deep into the heavily quilted clothing beneath his armored shoulders, his broad-rimmed hat pulled low over his face. As the door slammed shut behind him, he shuddered, as though to shake off the cold.

A couple of the other customers paused, looking up from their breakfasts to eye the newcomer for a moment, before dismissing him and resuming eating. The Kyuzo met Cody's gaze, held it, blinked his orange eyes once, then ignored him, walking to the front counter and attempting to order something from waitress, who clearly did not understand Kyuzoni.

Cody leaned back in his chair and glanced towards the door. It would take the second member of the team a few minutes to arrive.

The trio of bounty hunters were one of Ahsoka's usual contacts, not his. Cody wasn't sure how well to trust a set of mercenaries. Ahsoka had understood his concerns when he voiced them, and counseled caution, but seemed to be of the opinion this particular group was somewhat more trustworthy than most others who hunted bounties for a living. She told him of a long-ago mission on Felucia when she'd first met the trio, then a quartet. Cody had not been with General Kenobi on that mission gone awry, but he vaguely remembered a report he'd read as Ahsoka retold the tale. Ahsoka, the General, and General Skywalker befriended the group and helped a settlement of farmers.

Trustworthy bounty hunters seemed like a contradiction in terms.

He made himself relax, glancing surreptitiously towards his blaster, resting firmly in his holster. This one, named Embo according to Ahsoka, would be there as backup for their leader. Sugi was the one he would have to deal with.

He gulped down another mouthful of breakfast, keeping his head low and using his peripheral vision to keep tabs on the location of the first bounty hunter, who had finally managed to get the waitress to understand him. She was passing him a mug of steaming caf and a bowl of the ubiquitous ginger rice. Embo's amber gaze swept across the room again as he turned to find a vacant seat. Cody had already taken the best, if somewhat drafty, spot, with his back to the corner and a good view of the front portion of the café. Embo made a low, soft grunt, and picked a small table parallel to Cody, beside a crumbling bit of grey wall. They eyed each other for a moment, sizing each other up, and then gave the other a seemingly careless dismissal.

Embo was much more heavily armed than Cody. He turned his frown into a mouthful of spiced rice and vegetable, chewing thoughtfully as he considered how best to vacate the café while fending off the Kyuzo and his partner if something went wrong.

He was nearing the bottom of the platter when the second bounty hunter appeared, much in the same way as the first, with a cold blast of wind. She was deeply bundled up in a heavy, bantha leather jacket, her hands enclosed in thick, fur edged gloves. She reached up and pulled down the jacket's zipper a bit, revealing more of her tattooed face. She shivered once, violently, and beat at her arms a few times with her hands, to warm herself. She wore her violet, corn-rowed hair in a high tail on the top of her head, her vestigial horns poking up through the braids like a sparse crown. She glanced around, her gaze settling on him. She lifted a brow, nodded once in acknowledgement and headed towards the counter to place an order.

It was all done very casually. Embo barely seemed to recognize her existence, and the pair were so unlike in appearance and demeanor that few would think to place them as a team. A more cautious eye, however, would recognize a subtle hand gesture from Sugi, acknowledged by a slight tilt of the hat from Embo. Ahsoka hadn't specified how long they'd been a team, but from the naturalness of their silent communication, Cody suspected it was a long time.

She appeared over his table a minute later, a cup of steaming caf in hand as well as a bowl of steaming vegetables over orange rice. She dropped down into the seat beside him with a companionable sigh, as though they were old acquaintances meeting for a quick bite to eat. She turned slightly to the side and put a heavy boot up on one of the empty chairs while she leaned backward and took a deep drink.

He was startled by the smooth, almost lyrical lilt of her accent when she spoke. "How the locals so easily put up with such cold weather, I do not understand." She drank again, the cold induced redness of her face paling back towards normal. She turned towards him and lifted a scarred eyebrow. "You are Rex's brother," she declared, jerking her pointed chin towards his face. "The resemblance is strong."

Cody shrugged and took a drink of his caf, now starting to cool and gain even more of the sweet, mint flavor. It was almost candied. "Is that a problem?"

"Not a problem," she shrugged. "It's good, to have some family around."

"I suppose you're right about that," he agreed, keeping his voice relaxed and posture easy. She forked a mouthful of breakfast and ate, chewing idly while he watched. Her behavior gave no real indication of whether she knew he was a clone or not. She made reference to them being brothers, but otherwise seemed entirely unconcerned. He had Jango Fett's face. The galaxy was a big place, and though Sugi looked young enough to not have been active at the same time as Fett, she may recognize his face all the same. Having a million other men just like him walking around didn't improve his odds, either.

Clones meant stormtroopers. Stormtroopers meant death or ruin. Barriss reminded him of that, all too recently.

He violently stabbed one of the remaining clumps of rice and vegetable with his fork and stuffed it into his mouth. Sugi swung herself around, sitting straight on her chair as she continued to eat, eying him more warily. "Bad day?"

"No."

She shrugged, then seemed to go back to her meal, except that her left hand swept into her jacket empty, and out again with something flat and metallic. He saw her moving, but was still startled when her hand slid a few inches up his thigh, depositing the datacard on top of it, just beside the hem of his open jacket. If anyone were paying attention to them, they would seem to be a couple, flirting, her leaning in slightly towards him. He tried to play along, but the sensation was odd, and though she seemed somewhat amused by his discomfort at the contact, there was no real warmth there. That she was entirely business was confirmed by her quiet comment of: "The usual. Current wanted lists. A set of fresh transponder codes. Algorithm for slicing into communication relays off the Corellian run."

Sugi leaned back, casually, her hand withdrawing to rest in her own lap.

Cody waited several seconds before he moved to slip the datacard inside his jacket's pocket. He then made a show of being cold and refastening the buttons, shrugging the coat tighter around himself as he slipped a credit chip out, pinching it between his index and middle fingers as he angled it towards her, also discreetly under the table. He dropped it into her palm and the chip disappeared into her coat.

Wanted lists were good to have. It let them know who was still alive, but even if the data was wrong, there was usually little harm done. Transponder codes and slicing tools could go wrong more easily. A bad code could lead the Drake to getting shot down or impounded. A bad slice could set off alarms. Sugi was giving him a mild expression, carefully neutral. Bounty hunters. He was cloned off a bounty hunter, but a lifetime of his own experiences with them made him wary.

"You don't like me very much," Sugi stated, resting an elbow on the table and her chin on her hand. She seemed mostly curious, speculative.

He frowned at her. She wasn't in this for the cause. She expected payment for services rendered, and as a bounty hunter, her loyalty could be bought. Though gangster groups like the Hutts put bounties out on a fairly regular basis, the Empire had an even longer list, with people like himself near the top: a deserter, a traitor, a spy, a rebel. The only thing that kept his name off the wanted lists was that everyone thought he was dead, the ship he'd deserted from blasted to bits, the remains caught in the gravity of a nearby star.

If she knew who he was, who Rex or Ahsoka were, the only thing between himself and an Imperial prison was the integrity of this woman and her team. Ahsoka trusted her, but there were times he wondered if she trusted too easily. How many times had Sugi turned people over to the Empire? How hard would it be for her and Embo to take him down, to turn him over? How easy would it be for them to pull a double cross? He leaned back in his chair, mirroring her casual posture. "When's the last time you were on Coruscant?"

Sugi blinked once, slowly, her eyes remaining closed for a moment while she chuckled once. "Ah," she said, opening them again. "Only those friendly to the Empire go to Coruscant, these days." She kept her voice low, casting a glance around the café for eavesdroppers. The café was noisy with dishes and the sound of clattering plates and chatting people, but none seemed particularly interested in the two of them, save for Embo, who was slowly drinking his caf. Sugi smiled coolly at him. "Two weeks ago," she said. "To deliver a particularly nasty spice runner. The Empire doesn't only want certain kinds of people." She tilted her head towards him, scanning him meaningfully. He was certain kinds of people. She knew. He grew cold, his expression hardening, but Sugi still seemed at ease, if serious. "I have two people beside myself to feed. These are not hard times to find work, for a bounty hunter. But then, most bounty hunters take jobs where they can get them, and don't look too hard or too long at the job." She turned away and picked up her caf, took a thoughtful sip, and then looked at him again. "I have a bad habit of looking. So do my crew."

She busied herself again with her bowl of rice and vegetables, seemingly disinterested in Cody's reaction. If he focused beyond her, he could see Embo's glowing amber eyes, slanted in their direction. Sugi ate slowly, steadily, almost absently, uncaring of his consternation. Ahsoka trusted her, to give them valid information, and not to turn them in. Did she really consider the type of job she took, even though she had to feed herself and her crew?

In the warm yellow light of the ceiling lamp, the lavender hair spilling from the top of her head looked sleek, and it fell in a smooth tail over one shoulder. She wore scars over one eye, the mark of a fighter. The tattoos on her face were dark, accenting her forehead, her chin and her cheekbones. As she ate, the patterns on her cheeks rippled. He fought an odd impulse to touch one of the lines with a finger.

Barriss, too, had patterns on her face, and scars. Barriss who had smiled at him over breakfast, then pushed him away in what he could only determine was disgust. He returned his attention to his empty plate and cooling sweet caf.

Trust. Barriss trusted him on Nar Shaddaa, long enough to bring her to safety and to friends. He didn't expect anything from her, didn't think she felt anything for him, but during his last trip home, she'd smiled, and he'd hoped, and then she was repulsed when he bent to kiss her. It was foolish, thinking she would want him, would even want him nearby. He felt stupid about it, and embarrassed, and rejected. He was a clone, and that was enough reason for her to despise him.

Sugi was a bounty hunter, and that was reason enough to distrust her. He picked up his caf. As it cooled, it seemed to grow sweeter, the mint flavor growing stronger, and though it was not the piping hot caf he favored for the morning, it was still delicious. He drank a little more. A habit of looking at the situation as a whole? If only Barriss looked at the whole. He drank again, and the sweetness of the caf helped to ease away the bitterness of the thought.

"There is one more thing," Sugi added, almost as an afterthought, but there was a frown on her face when he glanced at her. "It's no secret, and everyone will know soon enough, but there are recruiting stations opening on Coruscant. For the Imperial Army."

It took Cody several seconds to change gears and process that statement, as well as its ramifications. He set his caf down in mild alarm, some of the liquid sloshing over the side. Recruitment meant bringing in non-clones into the military. That meant cloning would be either shutting down or slowing on Centax, and there would be fewer or even no more clones produced.

No more brothers going into battle. No more brothers being made only to be sent into the ranks of stormtroopers, no more brothers born only to die.

No more new brothers.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry at the thought.

"Are you alright?" Sugi asked, her voice made rich with curiosity and she was not without a trace of alarm in her expression. The tattoos traced on her cheeks were scrunched up, the ones on her forehead drawing down between her brows.

Rex had Ahsoka. Fives had Behri and the Pea, Echo had Suisen, Waxer had a horde of kids. Everyone got their families, got their lives together, except him. Was it too much to ask? He made a frustrated sound and buried his face in his hands for a moment, pressing his fingers into his eyes before running his hands over his forehead and into his hair. There were millions of brothers out there that didn't even have the amount he did, it was selfish to compare. Still, he wanted what his brothers had, the ones who were free and lived on Alderaan.

At least the men being recruited would be going willingly into the arms of the Empire. Eventually there would be no more fighting brothers, no more killing brothers. This should be good news, but it saddened him as well. He put his elbows on the table and ran his hands over his face again, vigorously enough to distract himself. "Yeah, I'm fine," he allowed, though Sugi's face did not seem any less worried.

Her eyes were brown, not indigo. Her skin was pale, not glowingly olive. Her scars were small, not branch-shaped and hinting at further damage under her clothes. Her tattoos were light, curling, accentuating of the planes of her face rather than diamond-shaped and cute. He wasn't sure how much he could trust her, but she seemed unconcerned by who he was, or what he was, and she was a warrior in her own way. She was almost finished with her meal, only a few bites of rice left to scrape off the bottom of her bowl.

Barriss was far beyond his reach. He probably wouldn't see Sugi again anytime soon, but she was pretty, and tough, and between Barriss and losing brothers he never even knew, he felt oddly lonely. It was too much loss.

"Can I buy you another cup of caf?" he asked quietly. Hers was still mostly full, and it tasted good cold, but he wasn't quite sure of another way of asking her to stay, without sounding ridiculous. The last time he tried to share a breakfast with a woman, she'd turned away.

Sugi was looking at him with surprise, mouth slightly open. She even made a furtive glance towards Embo, who merely blinked into his caf and tilted his head an inch. Cody felt a hand lightly descend onto his shoulder, and watched her face soften a bit. "You know, I don't meet many of the gentlemanly type in this profession. Thank you for the invitation. But I think you need the caf more than me. I'll get you some. I cannot stay too long, though."

Friendliness. He nodded, and she stood from their table, her chair scraping the floor as she moved towards the counter to order another drink.

It would be good, to see Rex and Ahsoka again. He'd be able to pass on Sugi's data, and the knowledge of what was happening to the Army. They'd need to do some prying into Centax's current operations, learn more about what was going on. But he was glad, for the moment, to sit and share company with a bounty hunter – two really, since Embo was so close – and not be alone. After that, he was going to have to think more about how he wanted his life to progress. He had a life outside the army, though it was still a life of fighting. He still did not have a pretty girl to share his bed with.

The aroma of fresh, minty caf hit him just before Sugi sat back down beside him, pushing the drink closer. "Thank you," he said, and she nodded. Sugi had a life of her own, with her own worries and concerns, but he needed someone like her. Someone he could share a drink with when he needed it, who was enough of a fighter to keep up with him and the life he led.

Someone who could know he was a clone and want him anyway.

He sighed, and drank his caf, and let the sweetness of it distract him.

He folded his arms over his chest as the Drake turned around and settled onto the landing pad.

It kicked up air as it reached the ground, blasting heat from its propulsion systems, and there was a pressurized chuff of air released as the boarding ramp lowered. Cody stepped forward as Rex emerged, a cloud of frosty breath puffing around his face as he walked out into the frigid Pantoran air. Ahsoka was a step behind Rex, smiling and shivering. Neither of the pair had on the heavy, lined coats required for the Pantoran climate, and they were pulling their lighter coats closer to them.

"How'd it go?" Rex asked as they met, and Cody pulled Sugi's datacard out from inside his coat and handed it over to Ahsoka.

"Well enough. There's some public news to share, too. We should probably get inside to talk."

He received a pair of nods in return, but when he looked up again and moved towards the boarding ramp, he hesitated.

Standing just within the confines of the cargo bay stood Barriss. Dressed now like Ahsoka, in sturdy boots, comfortable clothes, and a long brown coat, it was clear she had left Alderaan to join them. There was no lightsaber yet holstered under her arm, but her blaster pistol was resting resolutely against her thigh. She stood tall, calm, her chin high.

She placed a hand against the wall, lightly. Her eyes were dark, steady, and resting on him. "Hello, Cody."

His fists tightened at his sides. Vaguely aware of the concerned look that passed between Rex and Ahsoka, he straightened himself. "Offee," he acknowledged with a stiff nod of the head.

The steadiness around her flickered for a moment, and he wasn't sure what it was he saw – regret? pain? – but it was gone as soon as it appeared, and she nodded once in return before stepping back into the cargo bay and turning, the long tails of her coat swinging behind her.

He grimaced, ignoring Ahsoka's querying look, and Rex's worried one.

Stubbornly, he moved forward.

First off…this fic has gotten noms! And not the edible kind of noms. Each year, theforce (dot) net has fanfiction awards, and This is Not Our Fate is up in four categories: Best Child (Maera), Best Drama, Best Canon Interpretation: Female (Barriss) and Best Series (for the whole trilogy of 'Joker', 'Worth', and 'Fate'). I'm really happy about the nominations! Don't expect to win a darn thing, but I'm really pleased being on the nomination list! So, cookies for you all, so you can enjoy the noms too! *g*

I loved Sugi and Company in the second season episode Bounty Hunters. I really wanted to find a way of using them, even just for a little while. So, they're still floating around, bounty hunting, and doing a bit of information smuggling on the side. For the good guys, ya'know?

And the meal Cody is eating is a variation on a Korean dish called bibimbap. It delicious, if you ever get a chance to try it. It's not really a breakfast food, though.

We're coming up the end. The next chapter is going to be a big one.

~Queen