"You two are at the mercy of the crew." Syth commed out his holograph to the crew. "We have an issue. Return to the ship, NOW! If I catch a stray female on this ship, so help me…" The pirate lord lifted his head to the two men. "I'm very pleased, Feral. You've almost earned my respect and a secure place in the bunking areas."

"What?"

"IF you can complete what I give you and come back alive WITH what I want or anything extra, from now on, you will no longer be a prisoner on this ship. Try me, Suil." Syth paced away, scratching the back of his black, frayed hair.

"Lord Syth," Suil crooned, "this man you have was a person of interest to the bounty hunters. They know what he is."

"If we can stay on the move, they can't get us. How'd he do?"

"Not a scratch, my lord. However, he still has a lot to learn. I was the relief."

"No matter. We both know it's going to be a good hour or more before the entire crew returns so…keep an eye on the clone. I have to make a few notifications to some contacts about this situation." Syth walked by Suil, patting his muscular shoulder. Suil growled warmly at him as he left. Feral turned to the shistavanen. He waited until Syth was absent.

"What in the hell is going on?" He asked in a low voice.

"What are you talking about? Walk." Suil shoved the clone to his left.

Feral obeyed. The wolfman got beside him, respectfully. Feral appreciated this and he was quiet for a moment, thinking about it. "I mean, exactly, how many people on this damn ship are like me? Changed, altered, rebuilt."

Suil's deep chuckle was Feral's confirmation.

"You never said anything to me."

"Why would I? I told you, it's nobody's damned business."

"Why did you do it?"

"Clone!" Suil warned in a low growl.

Feral said nothing more. He rubbed the back of his neck. He huffed.

"Clone, why does it bother you so much?"

Feral was silent.

"It's not easy not knowing things."

"I want to see Rache."

Suil sighed. "Fine. It's just a matter of if she wants to see you again."

"I don't care." Feral lead the way.

Rache held her throat, sitting on the medical table. She took deep breaths. Slow, steady rising and falling of her chest as she used the force to heal her throat, put her at ease. She opened her silver eyes. The doors parted and Feral entered, followed by the Shistavanen.

"Is something wrong, Feral?" She slipped down, clearing her throat.

Feral's countenance was in distress. The shistavanen shrugged his shoulders at the healer.

"Give me a mirror."

Rache blinked and stared at him in concern. "As you wish. Follow me."

Feral followed the healer. Once more he watched her fluffy tail bounce to and fro. He was still curious what the hell she was. He wasn't familiar with every alien in the galaxy. Animals more so than the peoples. She took him into a washroom of hers. Three mirrors that lined one wall together bore his image. Rache turned to him with a smile. Feral paid no heed to her. She sidestepped, watching him in confusion. She narrowed her eyes at Suil. The wolfman drew back his ears with a low growl. Rache watched Feral.

It was true. His once brown eyes were now a roaring, fluorescent green without his consent. They seemed to glow as he glared into his own eyes.

This damn cull has been augmented…how'd you get out…make a deal with the seperatists…there's a bounty on your head….he's a weapon…dead or alive…scumbag…you defamed your breeding…you're so diluted now it makes me want to vomit….I own you….you're a slave…if you don't fight, you'll die…no wonder they disowned you…you've served your purpose, clone-clone-clone…

The spiderweb ruptured throughout the one mirror under the roar of frustration. Rache yelped, jumping. She placed her hands over her mouth, composing her rapid breath. Feral withdrew his right fist from the chaos. The mirror continued to crack, clicking here and there, settling its trauma.

"What…in the hell…have you done to me?"

Rache stammered. The clone's sudden gesture had been unexpected. He seemed so good-natured. It wasn't predicted that he'd break a mirror to kingdom come after staring at it for more than a few minutes. Rache looked at Feral's right hand. It was spotless. Unscathed. Feral tilted his head back to the ceiling.

"It's not a damn question!" He snarled.

Rache jumped back to reality. "I repaired your body."

Feral scoffed. "You did well more than that. There was nothing wrong with my eyes!"

"Syth wanted it done!" Rache snarled before the clone could raise his voice with her. "Don't blame me! I'm not your enemy! Cope with your changes! Breaking things isn't going to fix it! You're as ignorant as he is! Get out! Now! Get him out of here Suil." Rache's cloak snapped and she was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Don't touch me! Just…leave me alone!" Feral shoved the wolf man away, going around him. He was outside the medic bay. Here he just walked. He didn't know where on the damn ship he was going. He'd explore, since it would be a while before he could do this whenever he felt like it. So far everybody had done what they felt like to him. Leaving him to die, changing his bones to some god-like consistency, force themselves on him and screw with his body, and then force him to endure pain and agony for their own cause and not his own. All of this shit because of the jedi general he had tried to save.

Another scream of rage left him and the nearest wall was forced in with a sharp punch. Feral panted, opening his eyes. The caramel face, twisted with anger, stared back at him with glowing green eyes in the highly polished chrome. Feral studied them, forgetting to remove his fist from the chrome wall. The glow was rich enough to show an obvious contrast between his dark skin and the whites of his eyes.

"Aeeir?"

A soft head shoved itself against his neck and nuzzled him. Little puffs of breath then hit his face and neck. The trills inquired of him and Feral was at peace when the familiar green form bumped against him in the chrome.

"Boshy?" He pulled his fist from the wall. The clone pulled away from the wall, pulling the rugger to his front. He hugged her to his body and petted her. He fell back into the opposite wall. He slid down to his hindquarters and sat here

His eyes were green. Green like Boshy: the being that saved his life. Not red, not black, not blue, or purple. Green. How could he have not taken this with good-nature? He could…live with green. Yes, proudly, he would. It was his personal color anyways.

The healer wasn't happy with him. Feral groaned. He had been an ass to her just then. It just angered him so much. Any kind of tampering would cause his brothers to disown him or, at least, cause them to consider he was a turncoat. Showing up after being gone for months, thought to be dead, with green eyes, and bulging muscle, was not the best of reunions. He had already been called a false name by his brothers who had had him. No standard clone trooper could have had such disgust for another brother.

After the entire crew had returned, Feral was returned to his quarters where he retired. Syth got the vessel moving again. Suil fed himself, sequestrated from his brother's, but not deaf of their accusations. He growled all the while, savoring the juicy flavors of his nerf sausage links.

"It's that damn clone's fault, I bet. We've never had Suil demand us back on this ship so fast!"

"Barret, we don't know. One of us found out bounty hunters were a foot. You know how famous we are."

"Infamous," Barrett corrected his comrade. "Regardless, he's been causing a lot of trouble. He's dangerous. That monster like to killed me earlier today. I couldn't get a good breath for a good half hour!"

"What were you doing to him?"

"What?!" Barrett stood from his stool. He had placed himself in the center of a very large circle of pirates. He frowned at the wolfman that walked over to him. "Putting him in his place."

"What for?" Suil shrugged his shoulders.

Barrett huffed.

"He would have killed you. Nobody messes with his belongings."

"That whelp has nothing to his damn name. Hell, I don't even know if he has one. He's republic scat. I don't see what Syth wanted with his kind anyways."

"Maybe to replace your dumbass! Get off of it and do your job every once in a while!"

Barrett shot up. His chest puffed out and the crew members grinned amongst themselves. A favorable cooing erupted amongst them. Suil hissed in disgust. They were so bored they would encourage a fight over nothing. Something that had already been settled or hadn't been started at all. He wondered if he, the clone, and the healer, were the only servants on the ship that were actually as smart as the pirate lord.

"Come on, big pussy," the shisto growled. His figure aggrandized with bristling fur.

Barrett groaned in hesitation. A wicked toothy grin sent the man into a sitting position.

"You're not worth my time." Barret turned away.

"Neither is the clone." Suil walked away from the mass of ignorant fools.

Barrett felt threatened. It was the only time he would attack. If he had been placed, he stayed there and no more conflict came from him. If anyone new decided to out rank him, then he reared his ugly head. Suil had placed him. The healer herself had even placed him. He wouldn't mess with her, especially. Her devilry with the mythical force had severely injured many a crew members. The clone needed to know who to watch out for. Barrett could be more than just a bully in the future if he despised the clone.

"Shhh. Stay down." Rache closed the door to the cell and Feral turned on his light. Rache hugged herself. "You had no right-"

"I'm sorry." Feral sat up to say it. She deserved the respect. He clasped his hands together and leaned against the wall. "I was wrong. I didn't want this. I have no control."

"Feral, you have control over what happens to you. One has to learn how to turn into something fun and enjoyable. Hope is the key, if anything, to gain the favor of your crew members. I had to work for it myself. I was no different than you, once."

Feral flashed a smile. "You…were a prisoner?"

Rache paced a little. "Yes, for a short while. Not as long as you. Syth bought me out of slavery. My people were being caged like animals. We were not any such thing. We were sheered for our wooly coats and forced to work in cold temperatures while our masters were warmed with our fur."

Feral blinked in astonishment. He had never heard of such a horrid thing and he thought his clone life was bad. He had it quite well compared to her.

"I proved my worth to him. I took notice of his injuries I could see from a distance. I told him I could heal and I had mended bodies and appendages. Some of my people were doing great, working even better because of it. So I joined Syth on his travels. I was not one to mess with. I didn't take bullying and attacks from the male crew. Syth had respect for me after a short while. It was lost, temporarily when a crew member framed me for selling information to other pirate clans. Syth has never physically harmed me since until recently. It was after I had repaired his arms. He offered himself as a testing trial. It was very successful. I had a concussion after he had knocked me across his bed chambers. I was cleaning his room for him. I still do it till this day. He threw me in a cell. I stayed there for days. It seemed like an eternity."

Feral looked away. She had been hit by the man before. He had wondered about it.

"In and out of consciousness, wondering what had happened and why. Throwing up and a headache capable of splitting a planet in two. I found myself waking up in his bed chambers on a spare bed. He had been watching me, making sure I was okay. I've never seen him so sincerely sorry since this. Don't tell him I told you he was actually in tears."

Feral scoffed. "You don't say."

Rache nodded. "Our relationship is a little strange. He's not rough with me because I'm weak and I'm worthless. He has to be."

"Is he…afraid of you?"

Rache smirked. "Yes, but I would never turn on him. I can take hits, and even blaster fire. He's not the only one that was transformed on the inside with this augmentation technology I've developed. I programmed my droids with the precise blue prints and steps they needed to operate on him and I. I submit, but," Rache moved over to the loo on the wall. "The crew knows that I can kill at a moment's notice. Syth didn't stop me when I found out who had caused him to hurt me. I did confront him about it, nonetheless."

Feral now understood why Suil told him not to probe. It was more rewarding to be told freely than to have it forced out of someone else. She trusted him enough to tell him. "Suil's been altered too. Hasn't he?"

Rache paced back toward the door. "You're smart, Feral. He believes you are, anyway. The rest of the crew doesn't know that he is. They just know that he and I are, more or less, monsters far more hellish than they could muster on a raid. They know you are too. They're afraid of you, so be careful."

"Does Syth care about you quite a bit?"

"Yes, he does. You're probably wondering about how deep it is. I'm not sure. I am very independent. If he wants something, he comes to me. He's figured that out over the years. I know enough that if he can catch me or boss me around, I have no choice, but to give him company, talk, be a confidant, or to not interfere with his business. He doesn't want me hurt."

Feral tilted his head to the side. "And…how do you feel about him?"

Rache hugged herself. "He is my caretaker. I have come to care for him, even though I don't agree with what he does. He's not as bad as he used to be, Feral. I've curved his potency. Do I love him? In patience, kindness and those things, yes, but a stimulating love, no. He's just a friend. With you he's become…strange. Keep your eyes open, Feral. Syth only gets this way if he knows something isn't right. I don't think he knows it yet, but he has a damn good sense of discord in his inner compass. It's how we've avoided capture, raids, and ambushes for years. We are one of the most evasive pirate vessels in the galaxy because of his sense. On other subjects, not so much. Respect him and serve him well, he will stop being so foolish and give you the treatment you deserve." Rache turned away to leave.

Feral sat forward. "Rache, why did you make them green?"

"Hm?"

"My eyes. Why did you make them green?"

"Well, it was obvious the color green meant something to you. It was on your armor, your hair, and Boshy has green fur."

The little animal trilled at her name being mentioned and she burst out onto the clone's lap, tail swishing. She barked at Rache. Feral cupped his hand around her midsection and held her to him.

"I appreciate it. I know I didn't show it. I had forgotten what it meant to me."

"It gets better, trust me, Feral." Rache departed.

Feral was stunned. The pirate lord in tears because he had hurt someone? That was…hard to believe. Unless the pirate Lord felt something for Rache in particular that he didn't have for anyone else. Whatever it was, Rache might not have felt the same for him. It was nice to know that Syth wasn't mean to her to be mean. He had to be rough because she could take him. Maybe even overturn him. The lord knew she wouldn't. Feral had to prove that he wouldn't either. Hell, if anything, he would run, but Syth was even ready for that. Feral could serve until he died. Yes, but he was aiding criminals. Those bounty hunters had already made it clear he was wanted. The thought forced the clone's head into his hands and he groaned. What was he going to do? He had always attacked head on. He never needed to run. Only to retreat to higher ground. In this case, there was no high ground, except meeting his makers, literally and proving his innocence.

He feared that he wouldn't be able to prove he was innocent. Being confined to a cell for the rest of his mundane existence was not on his to-do-list. He would soon serve the pirate lord faster than he would, turn himself in on purpose to be heard. The general could no longer be trusted nor favored by the clone. The man was solely against him for some reason and he didn't know why.

"How does he know I'm alive?" Feral's green eyes physically illuminated at the thought.

"Those bastards probably sent word to your so called "friend". He might have told them to do so just in case you were alive."

"Suil." Feral stretched back against his wall. An elbow across his left knee while the other leg lay flat.

"Don't get too comfortable in here, clone. You've got more serious things to worry about."

"Like what? What's worse than running for my miserable life?"

Suil gave a raspy growl as he paced in the small cell. "Your 'brothers' on this ship. The bounty hunters are not as bad of a threat as these men are. Syth sent me to get you."

"All ready? It's only been a few hours."

"He wants to dock someplace and refuel. We're going to be trekking for a long while before we stop again. He wants you to scout the area first."

"Well, I can't do it without you."

"How flattering," Suil growled. "Let's go."

Feral picked himself up, hoisting the green animal onto his shoulder. "It was a compliment. As far as I'm concerned, no mere pirate could stand up to the training of a Fett, more or less."

Suil balked just outside the door way. "What are you saying?"

Feral stepped around him. "Those troopers, I figure, are trained by the man himself."

"Impossible."

"No, I'm serious."

"That makes you a Fett copy as well and I mean down the letter."

"According to them, I've wasted my entire life by being assigned as a standard clone trooper," Feral muttered.

"Ehh, you can be saved. They're just afraid."

"They don't care what I say." Feral resumed walking.

"If there are ranks, exactly how far up did you get."

"My brothers didn't know it, but, I was assigned to accompany the 501st at times. I even had assigned sessions with ARC troopers. I would train with them or just watch them. Yet, I never got out into the field with that high of a trooper. None of my brothers were given these opportunities. Only because I exhibited "extraordinary" potential, as general Kanine put it."

"That's the first time you've said his name."

"It's the last time."