Fixer handed Claire to one of the clones manning the gun ship before it took off.
"We need a medic over here!" yelled a clone as they left.
Claire woke up feeling something soft wrapped around her and underneath. It shocked her since she always slept on the floor which was one of her parent's punishments for speaking out of turn. She sat up and felt the warm soft blanket around her. She enjoyed feeling the fleece like blanket on her skin.
"You look like you've never been in a bed before," laughed a voice.
She looked over to see a clone leaning against the doorway without his helmet.
"The name's Bullet. Apparently you were with the famous delta squad."
"Y-yes. I g-guess."
"You know your leg was fractured in four places. Lucky for you we have the technology to fix it. Anywhere else, and you would most likely lose it."
He walked in a little bit further.
"What the hell happened to you anyway?"
"A… A soccer game. I-I was… I was guarding the goal when one of the opposing t-team came up and… tried to get passed me…. he came up and…. kicked me really h-hard in the l-leg. I hid it from m-my p-parents because I knew they would h-hurt me if they found out."
Bullet narrowed his eyes before walking to her bedside.
"You know your leg was also infected. We got that out. Luckily you were unconscious otherwise you would have passed out anyway from the pain."
"How long was I out?"
"About three days. Boss has been waiting patiently to speak with you. Speaking of Boss, he should be here in about ten minutes, so do me a favor, and don't pass out."
Bullet then left the room leaving Claire alone to look around. She then noticed the cast around her leg and how numb it felt. A few minutes later Boss walked in holding a tray of greenish slop and a glass of water. He set it down on the table and sat in the chair next to her bed.
"I know it's not much, but I assumed that you were hungry," he said as he helped her drink some water. He then removed his commando helmet and looked at her.
"Bullet told me something about you having parents hurting you?"
Claire blinked three times before replying.
"N-no. Th-they would n-never do anything l-like that. Th-they are g-great p-parents."
"You're lying," he stated as he looked her in the eyes. "Tell me the truth."
"Th-they are like any kids p-parents."
"How so?"
"I-I'm not allowed to s-speak unless s-spoken to. I-I'm not allowed to c-cry. I-I have to play s-soccer in order to get into a good c-college. I-I have to get good g-grades or d-die t-trying. Plus I can't have friends."
"That sounds more like slave work to me," came another voice. Claire looked over to watch as Sev, Fixer, and Scorch came in.
"I am not a slave. I am just a normal kid. I have an average life like any other kid."
Scorch and Fixer looked at each other before looking back at her.
"Kid that's not even a life what you described just there. That's a nightmare."
Boss handed her the plate of green slop.
"Sir. What are you?"
Boss held up his hand. He wanted to test something. Claire took the spoon and ate it all quickly and thanking him afterwards. All of the men stared at her in shock. The food there was absolutely disgusting. Everyone's first bite ended up in a fury of coughing and sputtering. Claire looked at them all.
"W-why are you staring at me like that?"
"Kid how often do you eat?"
"One meal a day three meals if I have a soccer game. Why?"
"We are not taking you home," declared Fixer immediately.
"W-what. I have to go home! I have a biology test tomorrow! I can't fail it! My parents will kill me!" she said in complete terror.
"That's what we are afraid of."
"Well what's going to happen to me then?"
"If anything, the jedi will probably take you in, or we will end up keeping you here to train with us. If that's alright with you of course. If not, then we will immediately begin searching for a foster family for you, and your actual parents will be taken into custody for abuse."
"So," said Scorch. "What's it going to be?"
"I don't want to go to a foster family, and I don't even know what a jedi is."
"So it's settled then. You are staying with us," said Scorch as he looked at Sev who didn't look happy at all.
"Alright. So until your leg is healed we will be in charge of you. That is until we head on to a mission. Then you will be in the care of the medical droids and clones. Once your leg has finished healing, I will speak to a few of the jedi and convince them to let you train with us," said Boss.
Claire nodded her head before looking at Fixer curiously. He had just shoved Sev to the ground for punching him in the shoulder. Sev's head hit some of the medical equipment angering him further as he leapt at Fixer. This only caused Scorch to have to get in the middle of the two and try to break up the fight. Irritated that this was happening, Boss immediately ordered Sev down to the mess hall for good food rather than the trainee's slop that he had just fed poor Claire.
"Yes Sir," he said angrily before heading out.
About ten minutes later Sev returned with a plate full of food. There was food that appeared to look like steak, baked potato, and green beans with a special sauce on them. Sev handed Claire the tray. She looked down at it. The baked potato was already cut open and was smothered in butter, salt, and pepper as well as another ingredient that she wasn't quite familiar with.
"I didn't know what you'd like," Sev said.
"Sev you really spoiled her," said Scorch as he looked at her plate hungrily. Fixer nudged him.
"Stop eyeing her food. We can go get food after she eats."
Boss looked at his men.
"Why don't you head down and go grab something to eat. I will be down there shortly."
He then sat down again and looked at Claire.
"Go ahead and try it. It's definitely better than what you have tasted before."
Claire took a bite out of the steak first. It was juicy and seasoned very well. She then went on to the potato and tried that. It was also just as good. Finally she tried the green beans which were obviously not green beans. Instead they were something that tasted much better than green beans. Boss smiled at her before getting up.
"It seems that you are all situated here, and it definitely appears that you haven't had a meal like this in a long time."
"No I haven't. I'm used to eating ramen soup."
Boss narrowed his eyes before turning and leaving. He saw Claire as his own daughter which he knew would be against regulations to even have. He definitely wouldn't tell any of his men. Knowing their childish behavior, he knew they would tease him to no end.
It had been a few hours later. The entire delta squad was bunking right next to the medical station where Claire was that way they would be there if she needed them. Boss couldn't sleep though. He kept thinking that there was something wrong with Claire. He slowly got out of his bed to go check on her. When he entered her room, he saw her crying, whimpering, and squirming in her bed as if someone was trying to hurt her in her dream. He silently ran towards her bed and gently shook her awake.
"Hey. Hey. Hey. It's okay. It's okay. Wake up. It's not real. Wake up."
Claire slowly opened her eyes to see Boss in front of her. Then she started crying harder afraid that he would hurt her for crying. Instead he shocked her by wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug and squeezed her lightly. He kissed her forehead and told her that everything was going to be okay. Claire didn't realise that she was shaking until she suddenly stopped. She closed her eyes before slowly falling back to sleep.