Chapter 4

Hunter looked at Anaria, stunned. He wasn't sure whether she was weird, or just friendly and confident. He assumed it was the latter, but he remained cautious, nonetheless. He took her extended hand and shook it, noting how firmly she grasped his own. Hunter judged a person based on several things, one of them being a handshake. This woman had a good one. "Hunter." He introduced himself, and, motioning over to his brothers, introduced each one.

They nodded in turn, and Anaria smiled politely. "So, you said your ship was stolen by pirates?" She sat back down on the couch and continued digging through the box, pulling articles of clothing out every once in a while.

Hunter stood next to Wrecker, extending his arms towards the fire. "Yeah."

"And I take it you're unable to call for assistance from the Republic because you don't have any long range comms?"

"Correct." Tech piped up, adjusting his goggles. He had taken a seat next to the fireplace as well, still shivering slightly. "Not that it would do much good anyways. We're all the way out here because no one else is currently available to do so."

Anaria nodded. "On a mission then, I take it?"

"No, we're here for the views," Crosshair muttered sarcastically, and Anaria smirked.

"Got a bit more than you bargained for, eh? Well, whatever reason you're here for, I hope your superiors can send you help. Because if the people who took your ship are who I think they are, you're not gonna see it again."

Hunter folded his arms, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Anaria sighed, putting the cover back on the box and tucking it in a corner. "There's a group of… well, I suppose you could call them pirates, like you've been saying. They have a base a ways off from here, and they make a habit of treating this part of Timora like their own little kingdom. They monitor anyone or anything that comes to the area, and if someone has something they want, they take it.

We've been dealing with them for years. They come to the town whenever they please and raid it for food, supplies, credits, you name it." She scowled, clearly upset, but her eyes were sad. "They've killed anyone that's stood in their way. A while back, most of the men of this town were transferred over to Bokura to the mines or to the other side of the planet to harvest sunpetals. They all left to support their families. The pirates saw that as an opportunity, and attacked us, laying claim to everything they desired. The men that remained in the village protected it as best they could from those thugs and paid the price. When their leader saw some of us as enough of a threat, he killed those who he deemed the most troublesome. He also took anyone he thought had a pretty face, usually the women whose husbands he had just murdered. Children were left screaming in the streets, wives cried over their spouses' dead bodies, and we were left to rebuild a half-destroyed town. There are mainly older folks and children here now. Guaranteed, only people those hooligans have labeled as unthreatening." She finished with a sigh, folding her arms. "When they first raided, I was sixteen. That was three years ago."

The Batch looked at her, slightly surprised by the story, and Crosshair frowned. "That doesn't explain why we can't get our ship back."

Anaria chuckled hollowly. "The people who took it- was their leader about… your height?" She pointed to Wrecker, and he nodded. "Prominent sideburns, large scar across his jaw?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Hunter muttered.

"Vandrick. He's a sadistic monster."

"I noticed. Where exactly is his base?"

Anaria picked up a couple articles of clothes from the couch, rising from her seat. "It's a fair enough distance away. They guard it well, so if you plan on getting your ship back, you're going to need a really solid plan. I can find you a map of the area tomorrow if you'd like."

Tech nodded, rising from his spot on the floor. "That would be most helpful. We could use any information you might have. Our mission is of great importance, and we have a limited amount of time."

Anaria nodded, handing him the clothes in her hands. "I'll do that then. Here. They're not much. I have a lot of stuff salvaged from the raids, and these old clothes are one of them. They'll probably be big on you, but it's better than nothing."

Tech accepted the clothes with a quiet 'thank you' and Anaria handed Crosshair and Hunter each a set as well. "These are the biggest I've got," she said, giving Wrecker the last pair of clothes.

He smiled, taking them in his large hands. "Thanks, I'll try not to rip 'em."

"Thanks. I'm going to head on upstairs and see if I can find a couple blankets for you boys. I shouldn't be long."

She disappeared up the stairs, and the Batch stood there for a moment.

"I can't figure her out." Hunter said, rubbing his chin. "We literally just appeared outside her house late at night and she's acting like it's normal. She's totally comfortable housing us, giving us clothes, and offering information. I'm not sure I trust how friendly she is. Like, why would she care?"

Tech adjusted his goggles. "She seems to have what people would refer to as a 'maternal nature'."

Wrecker made a face. "What does that mean?"

"It means she's motherly. She said she has children, so perhaps helping others as a mother would is in her nature."

Crosshair snorted, heading to the fresher to change, while Hunter pondered over Tech's words. Motherly, huh? He'd never delt with women before, let alone one like Anaria. Was this normal?

Crosshair came back into the main area, donning a pair of dark grey pants and a black turtleneck. "Fresher's free." They took turns changing into their respective outfits: Tech with tan pants (which were slightly too long for him) and a long sleeved, open colored white shirt, Hunter with black pants and a dark red long sleeved top, and Wrecker with a pair of charcoal pants and a forest green tshirt.

Wrecker stretched out on the floor in front of the fireplace, while Tech curled up comfortably in a corner on the couch. Hunter sat beside him and was about to speak when a small noise caught his attention. He heard footsteps coming from the stairwell, too light to be Anaria's. Crosshair noticed Hunter looking towards the stairs and turned, starting.

A tiny Togruta girl, no older than three, was standing there, looking down at the four strangers in the livingroom, her sparkling blue eyes shimmering in the firelight.

Crosshair frowned. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

The little girl jumped, her lips trembling, and Wrecker glared at Crosshair. "Stop being so grumpy, you're scaring her!" A single tear rolled down the child's cheek, and she whimpered slightly. "Now look what you've done!" Wrecker hissed, and Crosshair gaped at him.

"Me?! Why is it automatically my fault? How do you know it isn't you she's scared of?"

At this point, the little girl was outright sobbing, and her whimpering had grown to a loud wailing. Hunter tried to calm her, but the second he moved towards her, she had cried even more.

There was the sudden sound of running feet, and Anaria practically flew down the stairs, scooping up the little girl in her arms. "Shhhhh, shhhh! It's okay, it's okay, Keraa!" She looked over at the clones, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern. "What happened?"

Crosshair frowned, but did not respond, and Wrecker rubbed his head awkwardly. "I think she's scared of us, mainly Crosshair." The sniper glowered at him. "What?! You glared at her, Cross!"

Anaria patted the little girl on the back, rocking her gently and humming until she stopped crying. "It's okay, sweetheart. They're just visitors, they're not going to hurt you." The little girl buried her face in Anaria's chest, refusing to look at the clones, and the young woman chuckled. "Let's get you back to bed." She looked over at the Batch, most of which were staring sheepishly up at her; Crosshair was simply ignoring her. "Don't worry about her, she's fine. Just got a bit surprised, that's all." She smiled, stroking Keraa's head. "I'll be right back."

She ascended the stairs, leaving the brothers alone in silence once again. After a short, awkward silence, they returned to their original positions, making themselves comfortable. Crosshair sat beside Hunter, resting his head against the handle of the couch, and dropping his feet unceremoniously into Hunter's lap. The sergeant gave him a look, but Crosshair just smirked, closing his eyes, his hands resting on his stomach. Hunter sighed, but let his brother's feet remain on his lap, looking over at Wrecker, who was lying on his stomach, his head resting on his hands. Tech was curled up on Hunter's left, his eyes closed, breathing measured. Both had already fallen asleep.

"They must be exhausted." Hunter turned towards Anaria just as she reached the bottom step, a stack of blankets in hand. She set them down on the floor, taking the largest one from the middle of the pile and placing it gently over Wrecker's sleeping form. He rolled over in his sleep, grabbing the blanket and wrapping his arms around one corner with a grunt. Anaria chuckled, snatching up another blanket and unfurling it.

She draped it over Tech, and Hunter nodded. "I'd say. Tech's a pretty light sleeper, I'm surprised he didn't wake up from that." Anaria smiled, unfolded the last blanket and dropping it over Crosshair and Hunter's legs. The sniper's eyes were closed, and Hunter could tell he was drifting in and out of consciousness. "So, is that your daughter?"

Anaria blinked. "What? Oh, Keraa? No… her parents were killed in a raid last year, so I took her in. I've got another one upstairs, he's about 13. But he doesn't like people, so I doubt you'll see much of him."

Hunter nodded, smiling slightly. "Well, that explains it."

Anaria made a quizzical face. "Explains what?"

"What Tech refers to as your 'motherly' attitude. Ever since we walked through the door, you've been acting like we were your responsibility or something. I mean, look at you, you just went and covered us in blankets and everything."

Anaria smiled, folding her arms. "Oh, that… sorry, I can't help it. Didn't mean to be bossy or anything."

Hunter chuckled. "Nah, you're good. I appreciate the help. It's certainly better than staying out in the rain, that's for sure."

"Nari?"

A tiny voice emanated from upstairs, and Anaria sighed. "Well, I've got a three-year-old to take care of. Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright, goodnight."

Anaria slowly climbed the stairs, and Hunter closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his brothers' breathing. He felt Crosshair stir on the couch beside him, heard Wrecker's light snoring, heard the rain pouring down on the roof. He could hear footsteps upstairs, a small exchange, and suddenly… there was the soft sound of singing. And he listened… he couldn't make out the words, but the tune, though slightly repetitive, was soothing and soft. He took a deep breath and relaxed, and before long, sleep overtook him.