Could you spot where Hetch would be in the 2008 movie? He'd be in one quick scene abord the gunship on Teth as the 501st was landing, the clone that tapped his helmet and told Ridge about his comm static! Or at least, that's my headcanon lol.

Again, this is my first fanfic so please don't be too surprised when you find errors in grammar/spelling.

Thank you so much for reading so far!

On with chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Rishi Moon, 22BBY

Being a clone, Cutup was used to looking exactly like someone else. It was all he had ever known. On Kamino, he'd only ever known clones and the occasional Jedi, Kaminoan scientist and bounty hunter training instructor. Aside from that, every person he'd interacted with had looked like him down to the last detail.

But Cutup was a little different in the sound department. He'd never encountered a brother that had sounded like him. Not a single scientist he'd ever asked could explain why he sounded the way he did, and he'd eventually learned to accept it. It was who he was.

As he leaned back in his seat at the security console reminiscing about his past, a flying datapad collided with his armored shoulder. He sprang up, turning to see the offender: Hevy.

Hevy's grin had almost become a permanent feature ever since they'd graduated from Kamino. Though it had become a little less common as the rotations on Rishi Moon passed.

"Stop lounging around and arm wrestle me!"

Arm wrestling had become a popular pastime for the troopers of Rishi Moon Station. Having nothing to do other than watch empty camera feeds and report intermittently to superiors, the entirety of Domino Squad had slowly started to succumb to boredom over the weeks.

Cutup had fallen victim to the feeling of being bored many rotations ago and was eager to do something other than his job.

"Sure," he said, bounding up, "bring it on!"

The two clones began their bout. Droitbait and Fives dutifully performed their security checks nearby but occasionally stole glances at the entertainment at the center console.

Cutup's arm was beginning to tire, though Hevy seemed to be gaining strength. Cutup overheard the base's Deck Officer reporting in from outside and noted that he sounded borderline sleepy. Just then, a particularly catchy tune began to play over the holoprojector that was broadcasting the GAR's unofficial fan radio station. The female-programmed DJ droid materialized and began to speak.

'You're listening to the Grand Army of the Republic Broadcast, the voice of the Outer Rim. This next one goes out to the Mud-Jumpers of the 224th, slugging it out on Mimban. Keep your heads down and your seals tight boys."

One of the command room's doors opened and Echo walked in clutching a datapad, something he was almost never seen without. Cutup's strength finally waivered then gave way and Hevy, no doubt stronger due to his constant use of the massive Z-6 canon during training, claimed another victory.

"Ha-ha yes!" he cried; arms raised in victory. Cutup rubbed his aching hand.

"Who's next? Fives?" he looked at the other clone, still seated behind his console.

"Uh," Echo had wandered over, "shouldn't you be watching your scope Hevy?"

Cutup grinned as he predicted Hevy's reaction.

"Yeah! Let's take a look!" Hevy's sarcasm was thick as he spun to his own security console. He palmed a button and a screen activated, showing a blank Rishi landscape.

"Hm, what do you know, all clear! Just like the last hundred times I looked at it…" he turned, smirking at Echo.

Perking up, Echo said, "Personally, I like that it's so quiet out here." He tapped the datapad in his hand, "I can catch up on the reg manuals!"

Hevy seemed to physically bristle before bursting out with, "Echo, what is wrong with you? We should be out in the frontlines blasting droids!"

Cutup grinned and added, "Ah, leave him alone. They kept him in his growth jar too long."

Both clones chuckled at Echo's offended look. The two liked to pick on Echo, as did most of the other members of their Squad. Even the normally diplomatic Nub threw in a joke every now and then.

"You uh, may not realize it yet Fives," spoke up Hevy, switching targets, "but you landed on the most boring post in the Outer Rim."

Fives was always the optimist. Ever since they'd been posted at the base, he'd been trying to encourage the squad to see the bright side of the location. Hevy and Cutup had been doing their utmost to change his opinion.

No sooner had Hevy finished his sentence, a gruffer voice, but still their own, spoke.

"And one of the most important."

Cutup whirled around to see the base's commanding officer, Sergeant O'Niner, surveying the group of younger clones. Cutup hadn't even heard him coming and spun back around to shut off the radio broadcast before leaping to attention.

"Attention, sergeant on deck!" Shouted Echo, coming to attention himself.

The higher-ranking clone glared at his subordinates, greying eyebrows slanting downwards.

"At ease," he said, "Even though you're all new here, I shouldn't have to remind you that this quadrant is key to the Outer Rim."

He stepped down from Cutup's console and continued to speak, circling the group of troopers.

"If the droids get past this station, they can surprise attack the facilities where we were born on our home world of Kamino."

He paused to let the words sink in. Cutup watched him in his peripheral vison.

"There's some officers on the way, so I want everything squared away for inspection. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Chimed Domino squad in unison.

O' Niner walked away, silently dismissing the unit. Cutup's heart sank. He hated having to double and triple check every minute detail of the base in the event of an inspection.

Sighing, he jogged off to the armory to do a weapon tally.

A few hours later

Having painstakingly set the settings of his console's camera to GAR regulation spec, Cutup sank down into his seat, grateful that the preparation for the inspection was complete.

He was just about to return to daydreaming when an annoying chime sounded from Fives' console. Fives turned, concern creasing his features.

"Sir," he said, calling to O'Niner, "incoming meteor shower!"

"Raise the shield." Came the sergeant's reply.

Standing, Cutup swung to Hevy saying, "You wanted excitement Hevy." He turned back to his station, not hearing Hevy's grumbled response.

The assembled group of clones listened to the low hum of the newly raised energy shield absorbing the massive chunks of space rock hurtling into it. Meteor showers were fairly common in the area, almost too common in Cutup's opinion, but their potential for damaging the moon base was moderately low.

Once the brief phenomenon had subsided, the gathered soldiers waited for the standard procedure report from the Deck Officer. When it never came, O'Niner activated his commlink and hailed the trooper.

"CT-327, report in. Sentry, do you copy?"

There was no response, setting Cutup slightly on edge. He'd never known the Deck Officer to fail to report in during the relatively short time he'd been on the base.

"Interference from the meteors?" Offered Echo, swiveling in his chair to face his sergeant,

"I don't see him down there Sarge." said Fives, staring at his console's screen as he panned the camera around.

O'Niner turned to Droidbait and Nub.

"You two, go find him."

The two clones hurried off towards the stairs leading down to the base's landing pad entrance, donning their helmets as they went.

Cutup returned to checking his camera when a scream came from the direction Nub and Droidbait had gone.

"Droids!"

The cry was immediately followed by the sound of rapid blaster fire. O'Niner sprinted towards the commotion, arming himself with the only blaster in the room. The rest of the clones followed with Echo reaching the door first.

The sergeant had descended the stairs and was out of Cutup's vision, but Cutup heard his yell.

"Sound the alarm!"

Fives dashed to one of the base's many signal relays. As he slammed the button, Cutup expected to hear the standard klaxon sounding, informing the Republic of an emergency. Instead, the relay gave a sharp buzz indicating an error. Cutup's blood ran cold.

Fives returned to the top of the stairs, joined by Fives, Hevy and Cutup, and called to the sergeant who was currently engaging the droids at the bottom of the steps.

"They've disabled the beacon!" The panic was evident in Fives' voice.

Cutup recognized the droids currently shooting at the sergeant as the dreaded "Commando" variant. Remembering the model from his days on Kamino, Cutup recalled that this particular model was beyond dangerous, especially in large numbers. And there was certainly a number of them this time, perhaps as many as a dozen.

As he thought this, O'Niner turned to shout up to the clones.

"Get a message to the fleet! We have to warn-" he gave a cry of pain as a flanking droid scored a hit to his knee. The sergeant fell from behind his cover, sprawling on the steps.

In an instant, three droids were upon him, and Cutup watched in horror as they kicked the helpless clone's weapon aside before the three of them let loose with their weapons, all aimed at O'Niners chest.

"Sarge!" Fives yelled, as the four clones at the top of the steps fled as they became the new targets.

Blaster bolts screamed around them as they ran for the door to the command room. As it slammed shut behind them, Cutup sprinted to the door's locking panel and opened it. Seizing several large wires, he pulled hard, tearing them from their housing and out of the panel completely.

"That should slow those buckets down!" he exclaimed as the door powered down, effectively sealing itself.

Hevy had darted across the room and removed the cover from an air vent.

"This way, hurry!" He beckoned his brothers over.

"No!" protested Echo, as Cutup and Fives ran to where Hevy kneeled, "We can-"

He became silent as a plasma cutter peeked through the thick door, moving in a large anticlockwise circle. The droids were beginning to cut through the barrier, fast.

Cutup had followed Hevy through the vent and was crawling as fast as he could. From behind him, he heard Fives' reply and the sound of a 3rd and 4th person entering the vent. Heart racing, he continued, following Hevy's booted feet just ahead of him.

A short while later

The four panicked clones scrambled along the length of the vent before they come to an end. Hevy, being in the lead, kicked open the grate covering the exit and the four troopers fell one by one out of the vent and onto the surface of Rishi.

They were about a hundred meters away from the Base, on a ledge surrounded by a landscape pockmarked by caves. Despite them having been on the moon for a number of weeks, none of the clones had ever left the interior of the base, except to go onto the base's landing pad. This was due to a very strict GAR regulation ordering all troopers to refrain from ever venturing on the bare surface of the moon, owing to the local population of Rishi Eels. Massive creatures, described to be at the top of the of the moon's local fauna foodchain. Cutup had never seen one himself but felt nervous all the same.

Fives spoke, almost jumping Cutup.

"What do we do without the Sarge?" Fives' puzzlement what shared by Cutup. What were they going to do? They were unarmed, save for Hevy's sidearm and were hopelessly outnumbered.

Echo, always the bookworm chimed in, "The reg manual says: the next-"

"Wait, wait!" Hevy cut across him, "did you hear that?"

A low rumble had started from somewhere nearby, seemingly coming from all directions. Cutup's nerve was starting to fray, and he suddenly had the sense that he was being watched.

"Yeah, what is that?" Fives said.

Cutup swallowed before adding, "It doesn't sound like droids…"

He failed to keep the fear from his voice, not that he was trying very hard.

Hevy turned to face Fives.

"Don't forget about those giant eels."

Fives responded, saying, "Eh, I've never seen one."

Cutup, already stressed beyond measure, felt his instincts scream that something extremely large was very close to him. He spun and had a split-second look at a massive form closing in on him before an unimaginable force clamped down in his entire body. He felt some of his bones in his side splinter and something crack in his lower body. The pain was so great that he didn't even feel himself being lifted high, way into the air.

He screamed, louder than he had ever screamed in his life. He was screaming so loudly he didn't hear the blaster being fired by Hevy in a vain attempt to save him.

He continued screaming as the… thing, whatever had grabbed him, started moving again. As it did, Cutup dimly registered that it was shifting it's grip on him before it clamped down again, even harder this time.

Cutup's screaming stopped abruptly.

…

Thank you for reading!

Any and all feedback/criticism is greatly appreciated!