Chapter 52 – One of Us
Cautiously, Quinlan peeked around the corner, letting his eyes roam over the space port. No ship left the port, blocked by the troops that were patrolling. Cursing, he backed away and pressed himself against the wall behind which the children and Master Che were also cowering. "I think we have a problem," he hissed.
"What is it?" the Twi'Lek healer whispered, cradling an exhausted youngling in her arms.
"The port is closed. There are no flights leaving the planet."
Her eyes grew wide. "And now? How are we going to get out of here?"
Quinlan wrinkled his nose in thought. "Even if we manage to steal one of the ships with more luck than sense, at the blockade at the latest they would...," he almost said pulverize, but he caught himself, remembering that children were listening, "...stop us."
"So that's it?" asked Master Che sharply, causing the little girl in her arms to cling closer to her, "All for nothing?"
A feeling of fear and helplessness spread in his stomach. "I don't know. I'm sorry." No longer able to look into her face, he turned again to the hangar. For a moment, he considered ambushing some of the clones, perhaps stealing their armor as a disguise. But it wouldn't fit him, let alone one of the rest of their group.
"We need help from outside. That's our only chance," he mumbled after a moment. Fortunately, Master Windu had given him back the commlink before they had separated. He fished the small device out of his pocket and held it between his fingers. It was risky to try to contact Obi-Wan, but this might be their only option. He hadn't heard from his friend in a while.
The healer seemed to follow his thoughts and shook her head. "I don't know if this is a good idea. Besides, he can't help us unless he has a Star Destroyer at his disposal."
Quinlan screwed up his face. "We'll have to give it a try. At least for the children."
A look of uncertainty crossed Vokara's face, but she said nothing. But she didn't need to. He knew that the odds were against them. Not for the first time, Quinlan wondered how all this could possibly happen. It was surreal. The fall of the Jedi Order. The rise of an empire. And all because they had been blind, too ignorant of a threat that had been hiding right under their noses.
But now wasn't the time for anger. He blew out a breath and turned to face the rest of the children. They all looked tired and drawn out, but what struck him most were those unmistakable looks of fear and terror. Quinlan had seen eyes like these before – on veterans. The former jedi swallowed the bile that threatened to crawl up his throat and ripped his gaze away.
"We can't stay here. I know a place in the lower levels where we might be able to hide."
With that he pushed off the wall, ushering the children to stay behind him. It was a miracle that they had somehow managed to stay hidden until now. But Quinlan knew from experience that luck always run out at some point. He guided his group with caution, avoiding patrols and drones that roamed the streets.
Just as he was about to turn the next corner, he heard rapid footsteps approaching from the distance.
"Take cover now!" he hissed, his hand ready on his lightsaber. He didn't need to turn around to know that Master Che had positioned herself protectively in front of the children.
Tense, he ventured another glance down the street, but what he saw was not what he had expected.
It was Master Windu, limping but still holding himself upright. With a motionless figure in his arms.
Quinlan's breath caught in his throat.
Rex.
Cursing colorfully in all the languages he knew, he left cover and ran toward the Jedi Master.
Coming to a skidding halt in front of the Korun, his gaze first wandered up and down Mace, taking in his battered form, before lingering on Rex's still body.
"Is he...?" he breathed.
"Not yet," the jedi master rasped, his voice unnaturally rough, "But he won't be any longer if he doesn't get medical attention as soon as possible. Where is Master Che?"
Quinlan met his gaze. "Follow me."
Slower as before he let Master Windu back to the corner they had been hiding behind. As soon as the healer set eyes on Rex, she passed the kid she had been holding to one of the padawans. She met Mace halfway, cataloging the clone's injuries.
"What happened?" she asked intently, her fingers feeling for a pulse.
"Grievous. Slammed Rex into a wall," Mace explained, his eyes equally glued to the clone in his arms, "His back might be hurt."
Vokara's eyes went wide. "And you moved him?" she asked sharply.
"What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave him to die," the Jedi Master hissed back, his eyes glinting darkly, "I'm using the Force to hold him as steady as possible."
The healer clenched her jaw, but backed off. She turned to face Quinlan instead. "How much further until we reach your hideout?"
"Not much," he supplied, "If we get a move on now, we will be there in a few minutes."
She nodded solemnly. "Good. Then we should get going."
The Twi'Lek went to gather the children while Quinlan addressed the Korun master. "Let me take him," he offered, "You're injured."
Mace seemed hesitant but then nodded tiredly. "You need to keep his spine straight. I can't hold it much longer."
There was a slight tremor in the usually steadfast Jedi's voice, and he knew Mace was running out of strength. "Okay, okay. I'll take him." Carefully, he reached out with the Force, met the Jedi Master's presence, and then took the hold around Rex's back. He felt Mace slowly pull back as he slid his own arms under the clone's knees and shoulders. "You can let go," he then said as he held Rex securely in his arms.
Relieved, Mace pulled back and immediately held his ribs, a pained expression on his face. No sooner was he relieved of his burden than the Jedi Master suddenly began to sway.
"Master Che!" snapped Quinlan, unable to help. Fortunately, the woman quickly jumped to the scene as the Korun Master's legs slipped away. The healer caught him under the shoulders as he began to cough and blood gathered at his lips.
She held him as still as possible as he continued to hack up a lung. Closing her eyes, she let her hand hover over his chest. "A rip punctured his lung," she confirmed after a moment, worry spreading over her face.
"Might even be two, from the feel of it," Mace groaned dryly between pained gasps.
Vokara only shook her head and steadied her grip on him. "Now is not the time for jokes, Mace. Come on, we need to get you up."
As gently as possible she swung his arm over her shoulder and began to pull him up. The jedi master screwed his eyes shut and strained to get a proper breath in. Another coughing fit had him almost topple over again, if it wasn't for the healer's grip on him.
"Let's move," Quinlan said, searching their surroundings to make sure they were still alone. Shifting Rex in his arms and checking for his breath, he began to lead the way. The children trailed behind him, their fear radiating off into the Force.
It felt like an eternity until he finally reached the run-down apartment block. They had had to take detours again and again to avoid being discovered, but now they had arrived. Quinlan pressed the key into the hand of one of the children and pointed to one of the doors at the end of the corridor. The boy sprinted ahead and quickly opened it, allowing Quinlan and the rest to scurry into the apartment. With brisk steps he moved directly toward the bedroom and laid Rex down as gently as possible on one side of the bed. Master Che followed directly with Mace, who by now had fallen silent and looked dangerously pale.
"Vos, I need your help here," she ordered, already rummaging through her backpack for the necessary supplies.
"What do you need me to do?", he asked, taking his place beside her. He was no medic, but he would to everything he could.
"Hold him still," she simply said and began to open the jedi master's tunics, revealing an already darkening bruise on the left side of his torso.
Quinlan positioned himself next to Mace's head and pressed down on his shoulders. The man looked up but his eyes were glazed over with pain. Though they shared no bond, Quinlan reached out with the Force, trying to take some of the Jedi Master's pain. It didn't do much, but the expression on his face seemed a little less embattled.
It was shortly after that when Master Che jabbed a needle into Mace's torso and the Korun jerked, forcing Quinlan to push against the man with all his strength to keep him still. Then Mace stilled, but his breathing was more even and less strained again.
"I think he passed out," Quinlan interjected, his eyes darting between the man on the bed and the healer.
"I noticed," Che replied intently, closing her eyes and holding her hand over his chest, "Just make sure he doesn't stop breathing."
Quinlan gave her another quick glance, noting the drawn-together eyebrows and slightly trembling fingers. She was exhausted, but they both knew that she could not afford to rest. Not now.
After a few minutes, she lowered her hand again and let out a long breath. "His rib is back in place. I think we can let him rest for now." She stepped back from the bed and moved over to Rex, placing to fingers on his forehead instead.
Jaw set in a grim line, Quinlan finally let go of Master Windu and let his eyes rest on the clone. His skin was almost as pale as his armor. "Does he have a chance?" he asked hesitantly.
Vokara let her eyes linger on the soldier for a moment before looking at him. "He has a chance. Whether he likes it is another question."
Quinlan furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
The healer sighed sadly. "His spine is broken. I can try to heal him but… chances are that he might never walk again."
"Force," muttered Quinlan, the gravity of the situation slowly sinking it. Under normal conditions, with appropriate equipment, Rex might have had a chance. But like this? Master Che could only do so much. They were outlawed, hunted. Even if they managed to get off Coruscant, the chances were slim that someone would agree to provide medical equipment for them.
"Can you look after the kids?", Vokara asked then, "I need my full concentration for this."
It was a dismissal. But Quinlan knew when to pick his battles. This was not one of them. He took a step back and nodded grimly. "Sure. If you- if you need something, just tell me."
He threw one last glance on the still figures on the bed, then he exited the bedroom. As soon as he stepped into the living room, he was met with an almost heartbreaking scene.
Some of the youngest had already fallen asleep from exhaustion, sprawled across the floor. The oldest, at least that's how Quinlan estimated him, with reddish hair and blue eyes, sat leaning against the wall, a small sleeping Togruta girl in his lap. He looked up as Quinlan pulled the door closed behind him, tired eyes tracking each of his movements. Next to him sat a younger boy, perhaps ten years old, who had first laid his head against the padawan's shoulder but also looked up when he spotted Quinlan.
He had never been good with children. Had always left that to the others. Not that he could choose now. A little uncertainly, he crouched down in front of the small group.
"How are you?", he asked as gently as he could.
The older kid peered first at the sleeping girl in his lap and finally at the boy next to him before looking at Quinlan and shrugging his shoulders without saying a word.
Quinlan chewed on his lips. "Look...," he then tried, "I know that..."
But before he could finish, the younger boy interrupted him. "What's he doing here?" he asked, so quietly it was barely audible. The Padawan, as Quinlan had noticed when he discovered the reddish braid behind his ear, jerked his head around and nudged the boy gently in the side. "Caleb...," he hissed.
Quinlan tilted his head, confused. "That's all right. What do you mean, kid?"
Caleb eyed the boy next to him for a moment before looking at Quinlan again with big blue eyes. "The man... with the blond hair and the brown eyes... he's a clone, isn't he?"
That's why they were so secretive. They had discovered the armor. Quinlan sighed and thought about how to explain it. "Yes, he is a clone and his name is Rex," he then decided to say, "But he is not like the others. He's on our side."
Caleb screwed up his face but said nothing more. The Padawan seemed thoughtful, his jaw working. After a moment, he looked at Caleb. "I'd like to talk to Master Vos for a moment. Will you take her for a moment?" he asked, nodding his head toward the Togruta in his arms.
"Of course," the other boy said quickly, and surprisingly carefully for someone his age, took the little girl in his arms without her waking up. Then, as the padawan stood up, Quinlan did the same.
"Can we have a minute...?" the teenager asked, pointing to the kitchen nook that would give them some privacy.
Quinlan followed the boy and crossed his arms when they were halfway alone. "You recognized him right away, didn't you?"
The boy nodded. "Of course. My master and I worked with them a lot." A sad look came into his eyes, and Quinlan knew what that meant. The boy's master was dead.
He winced. "How much do you know about what's going on?"
The boy shifted on his feet. "Not much. Just that they suddenly turned on us. And followed orders, like droids."
Quinlan leaned back against the kitchen counter. "And you didn't tell the others so as not to spread more fear."
The boy shrugged again. "I guess. Until Caleb found out."
Humming, Quinlan scratched the stubble that was gradually growing on his chin. "I see. Let me try to explain. In their heads... some kind of chip was inserted. Captain Rex's is broken. That's why he doesn't act like the rest of the clones."
The padawan's eyes grew wide. "A chip? How come none of us noticed that before?"
Quinlan sighed and shook his head. "If I only knew."
"…and what's our plan now?," the boy queried, "It's not like we can just wait for other chips to malfunction."
"We need to leave Coruscant as soon as possible," he supplied, "I'm hoping to get in contact with a friend. Maybe he can help us."
The padawan clenched his jaw. "So we are stuck here for now? Waiting and hoping that the Empire doesn't kill us before your friend finds a way to get us off-planet?"
"What's your name, kid?", Quinlan asked instead of answering the question.
"It's Cal."
"Okay. Listen, Cal. I won't lie to you," he tried to withstand the boy's piercing gaze, "Our chances are slim but if we give up now than we could just stop waiting around here and waltz right out onto the streets for the next troops to pick us apart."
His words were harsh but he needed to make his point. "But as long as there is a chance, just a tiny flicker of hope, I am not going to stop fighting."
Cal's eyes narrowed. "I don't see a reason to continue fighting if there is no place for us on this galaxy."
And there it was. The part for which Quinlan had also not yet been able to find a solution. He was not a man of lies. And also no one who made false promises.
"We will find a way. Only for this we have to stick together. As hard as that may seem."
The padawan said nothing in response but his eyes never left Quinlan's.
The former jedi pulled the commlink from his pocket. "I can see that you don't believe me. And I understand that. I wanted to give up to. Way before all this started… Force, I even wanted to abandon my friend to let him get executed… but in the end, I did not. I chose to fight," he held up the commlink,"… So how about we make a deal? I am going to try to contact my friend. And if I am not able to reach him or he can't help us… then, and only then, you are allowed to give up. But if he can help us, then you will give us the chance to make things better."
Cal turned away and gnawed on his cheeks. After a moment he looked back at him, his eyes glinting. "Fine," he grunted, "I'll hold it up to you, Master Vos."
Quinlan didn't correct the way the boy addressed him and watched the boy leave, taking his place with Caleb and the sleeping girl.
His grip on the commlink tightened. Hopefully he had not just broken his principles.