The Rebel Twins

by GradGirl2010

For 15 years I was alone. Fixing spacecrafts to numb the pain. The Clones' betrayal of the Jedi stole my brother from me. At the time, it seemed as if it would be forever. Reunited through this war of Imps and Rebels, Caleb...huh...Kanan wants me by his side again. The problem is...the idea of fighting again terrifies me. The screams...they won't stop.

25. What Am I?

What Am I?

Moving on.

xxx

Not everyone takes time to appreciate it, you know. The Chandrila sunrise. The way the sun hits every tower, patch of water, the sweet morning dew drizzled to the fauna, or the crystal clear view of the mountain and caves in just the right way. This splendor lasts for the first two hours of the sun rising. From the balcony of her penthouse, with her morning tea in hand, Senator Mon Mothma was able to enjoy it. Always a smile on her face as she counts her small miracles for permitting her to awaken from her slumber.

Mon Mothma loved mornings. They bring promises of change, resolution, and peace of mind knowing there are people grinding away to live their lives to the fullest. Never in her years of living there has she been disappointed in a sunrise. True bliss washes down her aching form as the sun's ray massage into her skin. But with this bliss...comes a blight.

She is no fool. Mon Mothma knows better. The moment she leaves the security of her home, takes that shuttle to Coruscant - a world she hasn't felt was her second home in a long time - she will see this glistening face lift and reveal the wanton revulsion lurking beneath. A pimple that was popped and later became a festering scar. Those grinding away to live are also in the line of fire to be exterminated like vermin. For any reason - be they a father, a single mother, elder siblings just trying to provide for their loved ones - the people will be snuffed. The Empire and its Bipolar, Sociopathic regiment are nothing more than the largest gathering of thugs wearing fine clothing and using bloodied credits. That is her reality, and she will never shove it aside to liver in delusion. She wouldn't be in her position if she were ever so naive.

However, certain elements arising have convinced her that she has been too complacent in her attempts to expose the Empire for what they are. That one element she's put off her mind might inevitably expose what she and another have been trying to hide. And if they ever get exposed...the edge they have, the promise of a brand new dawn, will be lost forever.

"Pardon me, My Lady." A protocol droid came onto the balcony. "You have a visitor."

Mon Mothma arched a brow. She wasn't expecting anyone today. She wasn't at all disappointed when Bail Organa strolled into her home with a box of fresh scones in his hand. "Bail! What a lovely surprise!" She took a few short steps and she was hugging him. The box and tea held off to the side to avoid a mess.

"Indeed!" He laughed heartily. He always loved her hugs. She...and Padme...are and were the purest beings in this universe. He waited for the Protocol Droid to dismiss itself. "But…" He politely removed her by the shoulder, setting the box down, "I am afraid I am not here for pleasant conversation." Mon Mothma hates conversations that begin that way. She set her tea next to the box, offering Bail a chair at one of the tables. He bowed his head in thanks, taking the seat out for her and then seating himself. He shifted his eyes, feeling exposed outside. Mon Mothma, again, was no fool. One the ornate brace of her arm were a sequence of embroideries. She pushed one little stone. The tech died in her home, and Bail realized his communicator was no longer functioning. "Always prepared for those spies, aren't you?"

"Spies are what crippled us in the first place." She may have said it with a smug smirk, but there was sorrow in her tone. Bail saw it when she lowered her gaze to her shaking hands. "And they posed as our closest friends and allies." The worst kind of spy. But she will not get into that. He has urgent business to discuss. "What brings you here?"

"There has been a development that has been brought to my attention." The way he makes it sound is as if Leia figured out she has a brother out there somewhere. Organa looked her directly in the eye. "Katerina Dume." Her muscles spasmed at the mere mention of her name. Her pupils were dilating, her throat clenched, and she was biting her lip. She was scared where this was going. "Truthfully now," He placed a hand to hers, and leapt right in, "Were you aware, when you granted the redaction of her file 16 years ago, that she is a clone?" He was abrupt with his question, all the while trying to sound calm. But, depending on her answer, this presents a huge problem.

Mon Mothma's eyes partially lidded in resignation. She sat back in her chair, releasing a breath she held for too long. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, tilting her head to the sky. "I knew this would come back to haunt me." She looked at the brilliant blue hue, and smiled at the one naive move she's made. Thinking secrets longer than a decade old would stay buried. "How did you come to learn this?" She asked, crossing her legs.

A confession if Bail ever heard one, and it had his stomach doing flips. "So you did know." He leaned back too, giving her his full attention. Honestly, he can hardly believe it. "Hera Syndulla informed me after hearing such a thing from Tseebo."

"The Rodian with the implant. Yes, I know of him." She is the one keeping him safe. She fiddled anxiously with her fingers in her lap, shaking her head at this nightmare. She hoped this day would never come. "Does Katerina know?"

"I would hope not. But you haven't answered my question." She might as well have with her responses. Though he can see she is relieved to think Katerina is still ignorant to this. "Were you aware of what she is when you granted her redaction?" He asked more firmly, and showed he wasn't going to let her escape.

"16 years ago? Yes. Prior? No."

"What does that mean?"

"Just as it sounds. I didn't know prior to 16 years ago that she was a clone." No one knew, when she thought about it. When you looked at Katerina, and how much of her own person she was, no one would ever even assume she was born in a lab. "I never expected her to be what she is, or to learn what she is the way I did." The image...still haunts her. This tiny figure...flopping on the ground...foam spewing from her mouth...wide eyes filled with terror and tears. "I guess having seizures is a blessing in disguise."

"Seizures?" He gasped.

xxx

If one was to be frank, there are better places to go when you're trying to avoid someone or keep to yourself. The mountains, the hills, a canyon, a village no one pays attention to. Sumar's farm is a cool place to think. Plenty of places on Lothal to go. Katerina hates those type of places...to a degree. They're beautiful, but she thinks far better with hustle and bustle noises. Like what she'd hear in a garage. Something about a thousand things happening at once is just soothing to her. Which is why she is wandering the streets of Capitol city with an attached hood pulled up over her head, and keeping her deadpanned eyes glued to the ground. Within the sounds of the city - the honking of driver screaming from profanities for people to get a move on, shop owners shouting bargains, the rampant stampede of footsteps of those walking - and those of marching stormtroopers - helped arrange her jumbled barrage of thoughts in a neat and orderly fashion.

A lot has gone down in the past 72 hours. Katerina's stayed in Capitol City to rummage through the five stages. She's only at the first two stages..holding there firm. Denial - she can't believe she's a clone! It doesn't make sense! Sure, Tseebo said she was...Born on Kamino. BUT-BUT-BUT he could have meant the Kamino system like Kan...like Kanan said...Kanan Jarrus - lying, selfish, prick Jedi extraordinaire! Precisely what brings her holding firm at stage two. The anger she feels toward him...and Hera...became so drastic that she had to leave. Otherwise...she would have killed them both. No, that wasn't an exaggeration. As Katerina looked at her yet to be cleansed hand, curling her fingers in and out, she admitted to herself with great shame...that she would have murdered Hera and Kanan right then and there. She had her chance with Kanan...if only she wasn't pulled off.

xxx

Flashback

All she had to do was check on Hera and go back to the cargo bay. Just a quick knock, a question or two, and then go back. Nothing more, nothing less...nothing overheard. Instead, her ever sharp ears hear Bail Organa's voice and Hera's voice in a conversation...with Katerina's name being dropped...and Hera asking if he knew she was a Clone. It wasn't a question either. It was fact and a demand for an answer with a fake question mark. Bail sounded confused, angry...and not at all surprised. And when Hera opened the door, the horror on her face, Katerina just knew…

"Riina?!" Hera's green skin went pure grey. She looked like she was going to throw up. She was in a bad spot, her head scrambling to save herself. "Were you...listening…? You shouldn't have been-" She stopped herself right there, biting on her cheek. "No...no I shouldn't have…" She put a hand to her forehead, lowering her head in shame. Katerina eyes lowered, but remained wide open. She was scanning the floor as if the lines, screws, and flooring would have a solution to this. A way to bring her out of this stupor and...and find someway to...to be rational about this. No chance. Her mind was going blank, her heart was sinking fast, and she was going pale. All those years of people saying how alike Kanan and Katerina looked, how similar their attitudes were, calling them TWINS! 'Did they know?! Did all of those people know?! DID KENDRIL AND MON KNOW?!' Hera's been keeping this quiet. She's known...and she's kept it quiet. "Riina, please listen to me, I wanted to tell you! We both did! But-" She reached to console her.

"Both?!" Katerina's head snapped up, and abject rage burned Hera's hands away from her. She cursed herself for the slip. Katerina grit her teeth. She was struggling really hard to keep her balling fists back. She stepped in closer, practically able to hear hera's heart pounding. "Kanan knows about this?!" The fact she was hissing in a whisper is what made her question so terrifying Hera was about to run. Kanan was the reason. They both knew...they both hid it from her...but only one chose to take his rage out on her. She's taken a lot of shit from him lately. She wasn't going to take this. She's going to get a straight answer.

"Riina-" Hera was thrown into the control panel...but a punch so fast and hard she never saw Katerina twitch. Her cheek split open, her head nearly tore off her shoulders. She was in a good daze. By the time she came out of it...Katerina was gone. Hera knew where she was going, and what was coming. "KATERINA!"

xxx

Katerina blew past Sabine and Chopper, practically shoving them out of her way. The two wondered what the heck her problem was. Then they were scared when seeing Hera chase after her with desperation on her face. They chased them down, worried what was about to happen. Katerina found Kanan in the cargo bay with Ezra and Zeb with him. She ignored the ladder. She jumped all the way down, landing like a feral cat, and was storming over to him. Zeb and Ezra realized she looked really...pissed. It was scary.

"Katerina," Kanan approached her, minding that she seemed irritated, and knew how to pacify her, "I was thinking we-" It was all in slow motion, and Katerina didn't hesitate. A devastating punch with a sickening crunch landed to his nose, throwing him head first into the cargo bay door.

"WHOA!" Ezra screamed that in more outrage than amazement.

"RIINA!" Zeb growled, marching over with a hand reaching out. THe woman must have seriously been angry because to wrenched his arm and flipped his whole body over hers, throwing him onto Ezra. The smell, not Zeb's smell, was suffocating him.

Kanan watched in utter terror, his heart stopping when Katerina glared over to him with her wiry bangs draped to narrow daggers. "You...self-centered...cowardly...bastard…" She hissed venomously.

Hera, Sabine, and Chopper arrived and gasped in shock at Zeb and Ezra. Then Hera saw Katerina marching to Kanan, who was sporting a very red, bloodied nose, with fists ready to beat his face in. "KATERINA!" She could no longer hear her. Katerina wasn't in her right mind, nor the left.

Kanan groaned in agony. His nose was throbbing as he fought to get up. Katerina helped him with that. She lifted him by the collar, dragging him to his feet. Kanan was scared out of his wits by the demon staring at him. He watched her eyes narrow to dots. Her expression so twisted with such rage she didn't look human. Her fingers grinded when they squeezed into a fist. Kanan wasn't able to open his mouth before another punch smacked his head to the side. Another backhanded his head to the other. Mouth, nose, chin, forehead - Katerina pounded his face in relentlessly, not speaking a word, just watching as her fist bruised his face, split his cheek. She didn't care at all that he glove was getting soaked in his blood. Kanan's grunts of pain broke Zeb and Ezra, neither knew what to do. Neither knew what the heck happened!

Sabine was clutching at her head, too astonished to react or help. "She's...SHE'S GOING TO KILL HIM!" She's standing there watching Katerina bludgeon Kanan to death and she wasn't stopping. Hera jumping down broke her from her daze. She ran at full speed, coming in from side and tackled Katerina to the floor. Kanan dropped like a ragdoll to the floor, everything spinning and in splotches of shadow. Hera had to wrestle with her, confirming that Katerina really is stronger than she looks, but ultimately got her in a nelson. Sabine jumped in, helps hold Katerina down. Katerina was roaring like an animal, bucking like a broncorse wanting to get free. "RIINA! WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU?!" Sabine roared.

"Kanan, you okay?" Ezra frantically dove to his side. Zeb cam behind him, letting him use him to stand. They winced able to feel how bad his face looked. "Katerina, have you lost your mind?!" Ezra snarled.

"What the Hell is going on with you?!" Zeb barked. This was too far, regardless if he's been an ass. Katerina has heard enough of their crap. She relaxed enough to put Hera and Sabine into a false sense of security, then she kicked off Sabine, and punched off Hera. She was rolling onto feet, stalking up straight like a rabid animal. Her fuming breaths were visible to the naked eye. "Riina…?" Zeb called to her, scared she couldn't hear him.

"When did you plan to tell me, Caleb?!" There were just so many emotions firing on all cylinders inside her that her voice couldn't regulate itself. She was either going to cry, going to scream, or eat Kanan's face off. "When did you and Hera plan to tell any of us…" The moment she took a step was when everyone jerked to protect Kanan and stop her. She jabbed fingers into her chest, letting her rage come out in a shrill scream, "THAT I'M YOUR DAMN CLONE?!"

Flashback End

xxx

Katerina smashed the side of her fist to a wall so hard she actually might have chipped it. The blood leaking from her glove told her otherwise. The only thing chipping is what control she had over her rising anger, and the bones in her hand. The latter can be easily fixed. Katerina plastered a hand to her face, frothing into the palm as she fought to not breakdown and cry in front of the people passing by. SHe hyperventilated to prevent herself from screaming. The last thing she needs is attention from some goodie-goodie bystander, or a nosy stormtrooper who would wind up having the worst and final day of his life. They were already staring from her hitting the side of the wall. Know what? Let them stare. Let them all stare! Let them see the madness that has gathered inside of her and become the first victims of its eruption. Just like so many were...long ago. Caleb can be the first.

That selfish, selfish bastard! Caleb Dume...that stupid...PRICK! No...not Caleb. Caleb would never be so cruel. Kanan Jarrus - that's who he has become. A selfish, lying scheming, in it for himself person. Caleb Dume...died a long time ago. He would never have done this to her. Ever. Yes, during their days as children Kanan still kept to himself. Especially when he was unable to process situations rationally. EVen so, he would always talk to Katerina just as she would talk to him. His worries were hers, and her worries were his. They shared everything, told one another everything. These years apart have clearly brought a wedge between them that she hadn't noticed until now. And it hurts. It hurts more than she can describe. What hurts even more is...the incidents from six years back...they're starting to make-

A Stormtrooper cadet wasn't watching where he was walking and wound up running into Katerina as she turned to continue her aimless walk. The kid must not work out much because he bounced to his rump like a yearling. Katerina was in zero mood for these wretches. She's in even less of a mood for his more senior brothers watching to see if she will kowtow to him. Too bad for them and their ego. Katerina gripped his collar, wrenching him so close he can see the storm brewing in her aquamarine eyes. "Watch it, PEST! Or end up like the rest before you!" She threw him back to the dirt, storming past him. The watching Stormtroopers let it slide and laughed. The kid needs to learn.

The kid growled rubbing his sore hide. She has a very mean streak. And he knew it well. The name of the woman who houses this boorish behavior tickled the tip of his tongue. "Anastasia." He whispered the name. Katerina somehow caught the name amid the bustle. She turned partially, straining her hearing to see if she caught that right. If so, this was this young boy's most unlucky day. "Anastasia?!" The cadet dusted himself off getting on his feet. He was laughing giddily when she stopped. "Whoa!" He had to wrestle with his helmet, but he got it off, revealing a familiar dark chocolate skinned boy. "Long time no see!"

Katerina blinked in awe, her rage quelling as the boy's face came to her. "Zare?! Is that you?! WOW!" She rushed over to him with open arms, squeezing him in a hug. "Oh my gosh, let me look at you!" She spared him from suffocating to admire the young man standing before her. He's sprouting like Ezra. the kid was under her chest last she saw him. He came right at it now. These kids grow too fast. "Geez, clothes really do make the man. Wrong type of clothes, but you pull them off." She had to admit.

"Thanks! You're looking good too!" He blushed. "What brings you here? You and Dev plotting again?" He partially played.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I'm just…" She flipped her hand around, searching for a way to avoid saying she's avoiding her friends. "I'm getting some much needed air." By Zare's expression, he knows that phrase means she's avoiding people. These kids are too smart for their own good too. Her nerves jumped hearing a couple more Troopers behind her and Zare talking about them. Their hardening leers - she can feel them from behind their helmets. A civilian speaking with a cadet is suspicious on all fronts. It won't take long, if she keeps talking to Zare, before someone puts two and two together. They might just walk up and ask her if she's causing trouble for the cadet. "It's dangerous for me to linger too long." She whispered to him. "I'm recognizable person, you know." She winked.

"Ain't that the truth." He laughed. He knows she's right. "It was great seeing you, Anastasia." He nudged his knuckles to her arm.

"You too, Zare." She waved as he turned to leave. "Oh and Zare," He stopped. She needed to clear her conscience here before she closes off again, "Not sure if you caught on yet, but my name is really Katerina." She placed a hand to her chest.

"Had a feeling. You don't look like an Anastasia." He assessed. Katerina laughed with her hands on her hips. Yep. These kids are too smart for her. "Does that mean Dev isn't a Dev?"

"If you ever see him again, ask him about it." That isn't her lie to reveal. Zare bobbed his head, accepting that response. Once Zare went over to his commanding officers to report his findings, Katerina slipped into the crowds and vanished. She needs to get off the streets before someone recognizes her. She also needs a place to think where she won't be disturbed. Anywhere will work. She has a great deal to think about.

Revealing her lie to Zare...it further convinced her that, after the Jedi fell, they've all been living a lie. Her, Kanan, Hera, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper - seven figures with no real face, Specters, wandering the cosmos aimlessly to find their purpose now that their old lives are ashes. A Jedi who hides himself in fear and shame, changing his name and his morality in order to survive. A Mandalorian with a dark past she constantly runs from, buries in her hair dye and artwork. A Twi'Lek attached to a droid like a mother to a child, always flying so high as if to escape the ones following her on the ground. A Lasat who was once a brave warrior of his people, now disgraced and trying to atone for his mistakes in a new form of war. A young boy ripped from one corner of his life to pursue another one because of his abilities, constantly led on this hapless journey that one day more like him will rise. And a mechanic who is nothing more than a by-product from a canister, stewed for days after being taken from a kids who tripped. Everything they were is gone. Everything they have become is because they had little choice. As it became their reality, the ignorance that built around them as a wall started to crumble. Using their fight against the Empire to strengthen it and hope no one will ever ask about who they were before now. Those who they tried to hide within themselves are being brought to the light. The Empire dragging their former selves forward kicking and screaming by pure happenstance from their irritating prying. The inquisitive nature of each other forcing them to face themselves. Still they will try to lie. They will invent tales, create pasts that never existed, obscure them from everyone and anyone. Why? Because deep down they all know...no one can be trusted. Not for very long.

In the midst of her inner soliloquy, she came up to a business complex. Came up meaning she walked right into it. Her nose was throbbing. She cursed the ones who put a building in the middle of the way. Gradually she collected her runaway thoughts, getting her bearings as she took in a piece of the Capital she hasn't been to yet. The buildings were enormous here. Hexagonal and spherical domes that climbed higher than Ezra's tower, with spires and pyramid erect towers sprouting from the roofs of the domes. The buildings had this weird slant going inward after a few stories of running straight. It doesn't look too different from what she's seen on Chandrila, but it's proof she's been hiding out in the boonies for too long. She meandered into the alley around it, grumbling under her breath on how unfocused she is. If that was a Stormtrooper she would be getting hauled in for assaulting an Imperial Officer. With the mood she's in, she would bring validity to that statement.

When she reached the street, a good gust of fresh air blowing over her, she was astonished to find she'd walked all the way to the old senate building. She wasn't aware she'd walked so far. She wasn't entirely sure how she walked there, or how she got there so fast. Where did she enter the city from, anyway? She wasn't registering anyone or anything that was outside her current train of thought. So for all she knew she took a ride to the upper scale half of the city. Great! That's where the Empire loves to hang out the most. Oh well, it just means The Ghost Crew won't come bugging her any time soon. And those high ledges are exactly what she asked for.

Placing magnets to her palms and feet - which she borrowed from the ship - she started scaling the side of one of the buildings from within the alley. Less chances of anyone spying on her. The ledge with the black strip of complexes were would be a good point for her to just kick back. Looked pretty high too. Might give her a good view. Help her clear the haze.

"All these years...ALL-THESE-YEARS…" She frothed heavily, panting as her muscles strained on the vertical ascension. The rage beating into her muscles wasn't making the climb any easier, but it's what's driving he to keep climbing. To get out of the public eye as she has her meltdown. "Lies...nothing but lies…" She climbed and she climbed, completely oblivious to her foot or hand slipping. Falling to her death doesn't seem to scare her right now. Not like the universe is losing anything important. The Jedi, Ken, Mon, Bail - have they all been lying to her as well? Did they all know the truth and never told her? Was she another cog in their machine for peace? Or...is she a weapon that was meant to be used when the Empire began their reign.

When she reached the ledge, it was the biggest relief of her day. She finally made it. Her lungs were on fire, her muscles were throbbing, she's pretty sure she sweated off another dozen pounds. After working so hard...she got to where she wanted to be. It was bitter sweet though. Even with the view she hoped for...she could hardly enjoy it. She sat to the ledge, propped herself to her hands, and just stared off into space. No pun intended. She didn't think she'd be able to do it, if she was being honest with herself. She can climb, but she isn't such a great climber she can scale the side of a building. But she did it, and she's got a view of the whole lower quarter of the city to bask in. There's never been a challenge she couldn't handle. She stares it down and then tackles it, eventually coming out on top like never before. Gaining a new insight to what her limits and strengths are. Recent events have given her an even greater insight. All of her limits, her strengths, her weakness - everything that makes her who she is - none of it was ever hers. All these years, it's all been Kanan. She's just a version of Kanan. Explains a lot really. Her ability to fight, how she can sense people staring at her. She's...she's fake. Nothing but a toy. Ha-ha. Did she just skip the next two steps and skip right to acceptance? If she has, she doesn't feel better like those quacks with degrees say it will.

Sitting there...seeing it all...she used to think that as long as she tried her hardest, be the best she can possibly be, put her whole person into what she believes and what she loves...she can be that light Obi-Wan and Yoda convinced her they knew she was. Instead...as she looked out at it all...everything she had done to be here...mattered less and less. The Troopers she's killed before and now, the differences she made running the garage on Chandrila, fighting the good fight with the Ghost Crew - her violent tendencies made complete sense now, and he fight for the little guy...didn't matter anymore.

"I'm no light…" She told herself. "I'm no hero…" Her voice wavered. "I'm no savior to the oppressed…" She choked on tears gathering in her eyes. "I'm...nothing…" And the tears fell, followed by the metallic seams corroding and falling apart. "Just...just a fake. I'm fake...I'm not real...I'm just...a SEED from the Empire's garden!" She pulled her knees to her chest, buried her face into them...and she screamed.

xxx

A shrill scream broke through every single barrier of Kanan's mind, ripping him aggressively out of his meditation. He literally felt his whole being leap from his skin, felt the seams of his flesh tear so his frightened soul could escape the fright. He held a hand to his chest, panting heavily and fast. He ran a hand across his brow, amazed by the amount of sweat dripping down. That scream just now...it sounded like it was right in his ear...like Katerina was...right behind him. No. There was no mistaking that scream. The pure anguish that ravaged him insides, the self loathing and internal disgust, not all of it was his. Neither was it so powerful. Katerina was breaking through. Unintentionally, sure. He knows because the first time he sensed her calling for him was back on Chandrila when they first met after so long. She sensed him, beckoned him to come for her. This time she just wanted someone else to feel what she's feeling. To know that this whole situation is tearing her apart and will only get worse. He knows for sure that is her intention. How else can he explain why he wants to vomit, or stab himself with his own lightsaber so desperately? He put a hand to one of his eyes, obscuring it's vision so he can partially dwell in what a horrible mistake he had made, while he tried to salvage what little respect he had for himself.

It was all coming apart. Everything! After 15 years of a cruel twist of fate leaving him alone in this universe, he finally got Katerina back. He got...his baby sister back. His sole purpose for waking up in the morning and working so hard was back in his arms. Only for this dream to be morphed into a nightmare as the treasonous clones weasel their way from the Hell he was sure they were sent to. And it is his own flesh and blood. Man, saying that...he never dreamed how literal it would sound. What makes it worse is that...the hatred he's bottled up for them...leaked to Katerina. He let this hatred consume him, turn him on someone he professed to love unconditionally. Even went so far as to blame her for his misery, the death of his fellow Jedi and Friends, and for her existence. None of it was her fault...he knows that...and still he blamed her...and now she's gone.

Kanan winced at a pain returning to his skull. He touched a palm to his head to calm it, feeling a greatly diminished welt lingering in his cheek. He felt more of his face, recalling every pound of Katerina's deceptively powerful fists as they bashed his face in. The look in her eye as she went on a relentless war path. She was going to kill him. She would have killed him. And he holds no rancor about it. He deserves it. "I screwed up...big time, Master Billaba." He whimpered. He really screwed up now.

xxx

Flashback

Kanan doesn't know how he was still conscious after all that. His head was in this blender that put a haze around his vision. His cheek was split open, the taste of blood was thick in his mouth, and the Ghost was spinning. Ezra and Zeb helping him to his feet sent his reeling. He was going to vomit. His senses were all over the place as he tried his hardest to come to grips with what the heck just happened. Katerina came from the literal nowhere and started beating the life out of him. Hera and Sabine weren't able to keep her down for long. Right as she got up, her scream is what brought Kanan back to full consciousness, and cleared up her assault. "I'M YOUR DAMN CLONE!" Is all he needed to hear, and Hera's abject regret plastered to her face confirmed his worst fears. Katerina knows the truth, and now very disturbed and confused eyes were on him, her, and Hera demanding answers.

She had just called herself a clone. Kanan's clone! What does that mean? Why did Katerina go off like that? Is this why Kanan has been acting weird? What the Hell was going on?! They had the right to know! They can see Hera knows what's going on, and it has all but been blown out of the sky that Kanan HAS been hiding something this whole time! And, as per usual, Kanan and Hera were ever so silent in their means to conjure up one of their famous excuses to dig themselves out. Katerina wasn't having it. Not anymore.

"That's why, isn't it?!" Katerina took the smallest step in his direction. "That's why he's been acting weird around me!" Zeb and Ezra moved between her and Kanan, hands stretched to implore her to be cool and not ruin what's left of Kanan's face. Sabine got in too, holding her tenderly by the arms. Hera approached her in hopes of calming her. Katerina got this animal like glare in her eyes. She whipped around and had Hera doubling over from a punch into her stomach. She coughed up saliva and bile, clutching her stomach as she fell to her knees. "You two have known this for weeks and...AND THIS IS HOW I FIND OUT?!" Kanan was really terrified to ask how she found out. Everyone else was just scared to ask what the Hell any of this meant. All they saw was punches flying, bodies being tackled, and Katerina screaming about being...Kanan's clone? "I thought you were my friend, Hera!"

Hera dry heaved regaining her breath, choking on the spit stuck in her throat. Chopper came to her side, letting her use him to stand. He then protected her from Katerina with his taser prongs. "I...I...I AM...your friend! Which is...what made this SO hard!" It was rough, but she got it out.

Zeb had lost all patience with this cryptic talk. "Can someone please explain what's going on?!" He screamed.

Hera motioned her hands for him to hold on. She'll clear the air, but she has to dissolve this before Katerina does something crazier than punch someone. She looked ready to murder. "The Clones murdered the Jedi! Took yours and Kanan's lives!" Ezra's eyes flashed recalling that story. Katerina mentioned it to him. Zeb and Sabine knew the story well too. Everyone who was around when the clones betrayed the Jedi knew about it. Even those born after the fact know about it too. Shock sparked inside the baffled trio, each head looking toward Kanan, Hera, and Katerina. Their minds wrapping around that...Katerina might be...one of those clones? That didn't sound possible. Then again...looking at Kanan and Hera, if it wasn't true…no way. "I didn't...I couldn't risk you feeling responsible, or kicking yourself for what they did!"!" Hera begged her to see it from her perspective. Katerina is a strong woman, but she is riddled with self doubt and associates herself with the troubles of the universe whenever those she knows get involved or cause the problem. She still blames herself for what's happened to Grim and Dominique. "Riina...please…"

Katerina's grounding fist kept her back. She didn't have to look Hera in the eye to assure her that she won't hesitate to do to her what she did to Kanan. But Katerina mustered enough resolve to take a few steps back, put herself out of arm's reach of her and Kanan. She was half hanging in sound defeat. Her arms swayed like limp noodles. Tendrils of hair draped to her face, shielding the absent hue of their light from everyone. "He's just like they were." She moaned with no emotion. Not the slightest edge in her tone. Just a rasp from an empty shell. Katerina...wasn't present. "The Jedi Council always omitting truths, or hiding facts, and proclaiming it was for everyone's sake." A little white lie to get the little Jedi Youngling Sheep to fall in line. She hissed through gritted teeth, spitting venomously at the floor. When the electrified rage returned to her eyes, Kanan felt its sting. "In truth it was just to protect their sensitive egos! They lost three good padawans because of their plotting!"

"Riina, that isn't why-" Kanan was stopped by the pounding in his head, and also because he tasted a lie on his tongue. "I didn't mean to-" He squeezed his fingers into a fist, strangling that lie before it could breathe. Zeb, Ezra, and Sabine were starting to get aggravated now too. Him and Hera...always in their own little world...another of their secrets blowing up in their face. Fulcrum they understand. But this...it would be funny to hear them explain themselves out of this one. At the same time...they really wanted to get in a few shots too. Zeb more than anyone. He's never seen Katerina so hurt. He didn't think she could look that hurt. "I knew you would react this way." Was his defeated response.

"IN WHAT WAY AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT WHEN I LEARN YOU'VE BEEN TREATING ME LIKE SHIT FOR SOMETHING I HAD ZERO SAY IN?!" Sabine and Ezra grabbed her from the sides, wrapping their full bodies around her to at least keep her anchored. She was dragging them. This goes beyond the muscles of a mechanic. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT WHEN THE WAY I LEARNED THE TRUTH WAS WHILE SHE WAS HAVING A SECRET CONVERSATION?!" Hera couldn't take anymore and dropped to her knees, wrapping her hands around herself. Katerina shook off Sabine and Ezra, marching within a foot of Kanan before Zeb stopped her with a strong hand to her shoulder. She looked Kanan dead in the one eye that wasn't swollen shut. "How...am I...supposed to re-ac-TUH when my...own-" She choked it down. She won't call him her brother. Brothers don't do this! "I don't even know what you are to me anymore." She had Zeb move her back, then she left his grasp. She...she can't be around either of them right now. Not when she's like this.

"What do you mean?!" Kanan whimpered, feeling his heart break. "I'm still your brother! You're my sister! You being a clone doesn't change-"

"IT CHANGES EVERYTHING!" She roared with a flail of her arms. Kanan and Zeb were frightened away from her. Sabine coaxed Ezra, Hera, and Chopper away, giving her breathing room. "YOU let it change everything!" She declared with an accusatory finger damning him. "The way you've been treating me says it all! The second you heard the word clone that was it!" She swept her hands, drawing the line he stopped at. He wasn't going to budge further than that. "You lumped me with the same people who destroyed your precious temple!"

"Riina, please, I'm sorry!"

"TOO LATE FOR THAT!" He's sorry. HA! What a pathetic joke! The punchline? There are so many of them, Katerina isn't sure if she should laugh or scream. If she's behind honest...there was this little tickle in her stomach. The clones were trained killers, able to take the lives of anyone deemed their enemy without blinking. Exactly what she did. "You know, it actually makes sense now." The Ghost crew was scared out of their minds when she started laughing, clutching at her stomach. They missed the joke. And it was creepy. "I wondered why it was so easy to do back then. Why I felt hardly a shred of guilt. Now I know."

"What are you talking about?" Kanan pressed on. Hera and the others wanted to know too. Zeb was the only one who knew. He was overcome with terror. When she tilted her head back, he saw the distant gaze of a mad woman recalling a sin of her past. Her broken spirit with nothing left but to...laugh.

Katerina gazed at her hands with such nostalgia. Like she had just found a long lost toy. The euphoria on her face wasn't human. SHe was cut off from reality. Lost in some sort of daydream. "Remember that bad thing I said I did?" She was going to talk to him about it. She's brought it up with the others. Only Zeb knows the full story. Afterall, she was 'too scared to tell them the truth.' PAH! What a load. She was counting on her fingers with a delirious look in her eyes. "Let's just say that families of at least…one, two, ten - carry the five, multiply for the square root…" She tossed her hands into the air, laughing crazily. "Let's just ballpark it to somewhere in the 60's of Stormtroopers were planning funerals!" She was too gleeful to admit. She was twirling on the ball of one foot, laughing crazily like a toy that's lost control of itself. She stopped with her head raised toward the ceiling, her arms spread wide open as she laid her sins bear. "The clones themselves...well...I didn't get to get too many before they suddenly dropped off the face of the universe." She hugged herself snuggly. The blush on her cheeks...stomachs were flipping. Ezra and Sabine...can hardly believe what they are hearing. She's finding joy in having killed people. Hera and Zeb didn't know what to think. They hardly recognize the girl before them. Kanan just stood there silent, gawing in horror as his little sister came undone at the seams. Their looks of confusion were so hilarious. Katerina won't torture them any longer. "Unlike you, KANAN, I became unstable after that day." Obviously. They can see her madness spilling out, right? Or does hse have to make her head spin full circle? That sounds fun. It all sounds fun. Taking trooper heads again. "It wasn't until a few years later I started taking the heads of Stormtroopers left and right and having a grand old time with it!" She said with a bow, her grin splitting her face down the middle. The face of the little boy from six years back flashed to her mind. It irked her, but didn't sadden her too much. How can it? She...she isn't sorry anymore. Her smile did fade into a frown. "Too bad that fun made me act rashly and some kid playing Stormtrooper wasn't able to hit puberty."

"What…?" Kanan trembled. Sabine, Hera, and Ezra stifled their gasps. She just...admitted...that she killed a child? A stormtrooper cadet? Ezra had to pause and think about how odd she was behaving during their infiltration of the academy. She looked like she wanted to vomit. Zeb looked away in shame, holding his arm as he felt the chills of her tale rise. What made it worse is, while he can't convince the others, he can see she's forcing herself to laugh. An enormous mask to cover the pain she was in. "Riina, listen to me," Kanan didn't care if he got punched again. He approached her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her. She needs to come to her senses. She wasn't making any sense. Talking about killing kids? This isn't her. She has to see that, "You're saying things because you're hurt. I would be too." He has been saying things out of hurt. "But you don't have to-"

Her hand latched to the front of his neck, crushed the muscle and skin around his esophagus. The grip was so monstrous, so fast, no one was able to fathom when she even moved. She looked at him with zero emotion in her eyes, no light to speak of. "See, big brother," She spoke in a high pitched rasp, confirming the craze within her had taken hold, "This is where I am convinced we truly don't know each other as well as we think we do." Kanan pried at her iron grip, gasping for the smallest twinge of air. He would swear she was lifting him off the ground with how insanely strong her hodl was. She threw him into Hera's arms. He choked on the air returning to his lungs. "The people we were 15 years ago died." She meandered for the door, activating the ramp. The sudden rush of hot air startled the crew. Katerina got on one of the speeders, revving the engine. "All that are left are strangers with the same colored eyes."

Flashback End

xxx

Before anyone could say a word to stop her, Katerina just left. Three days now, and not a word from her. She was heading in the direction of Capital City the last time they saw her. There's no guarantee though that she's still there. No one was even sure if she was still on Lothal. For all they know she took a shuttle back to Chandrila. Not that anyone would blame her. Least of all Kanan.

Sabine, Ezra, and Zeb are furious with him and Hera for what they had done. It was bad enough Kanan had the absolute nerve to blame Katerina for what she is - which, by the way, he is certain they don't even understand yet. But he added insult to her unknown injury by taking his rage out on her, writing her off as one of those monsters. It isn't unknown to all that the Clones are the reason the Jedi were hunted. What many do believe, however, is that the Jedi were traitors and the clones were just doing their duty and purging the universe of their blight. From that day on the Empire was hailed as the heroes from the ashes, the saviors that would cleanse the universe of the Jedi Plague. Deluding everyone that the Jedi were the monsters, not the clones. Monsters he so willfully associated Katerina with without hesitating.

Zeb...would he have known? Kanan pondered, Zeb was the most infuriated of them all. The love of his life was hurt worse than he had ever seen. Kanan saw his face when she slipped into her craze, talked about the kills she had accumulated...he didn't seem surprised. Almost as if...she had confided in him. When exactly did she start believing she couldn't come to him about her problems that she'd go to a complete stranger? He can't even ask her why she never came to him about...whatever it was she was trying to talk about. He refuses to believe she went on a killing spree. Katerina isn't a killer. He would tell her that to her face too. If he could find her, or if she was...alive.

She hasn't contacted them, Grim and Dominique or any of her other friends haven't contacted them to either yell at Kanan or assure the crew she made it home. Sure, it was possible to assume she's dead, but he knows that isn't the case. She may be cutting him off, but he'd be able to sense from a dozen planets away if she died or not. Now that he's had this time to think about it, he's always known she was alive. What he hasn't known till now - sensed until her assault on him - was just how broken she had become, and how much of her pieces she's struggled to pick up in that time. Just like him.

15 years ago when protocol 66 was issued was the worst day of Kanan's life. His Master, the Jedi, everything they had built, the people whom they've pulled from the ashes of the Separatist threat - a nuclear bomb in the version of clones, creatures they trusted to have their backs without question - eradicated it all in a breath. Younglings lay dead, Jedi were slaughtered, all who opposed the uprising of the Empire were never read their rights before they were executed. He watched like the helpless little boy he was as a bog of white armor came down upon him, bringing with it a hailstorm of laser bolts. He barely escaped that day, ran when his master told him to, and managed to go underground as the purge passed. He broke to the point he thought he would never be able to wake up in the morning, let alone make the journey that has brought him here. That heartache was equivalent to what he just endured three days ago. He never thought he'd have to suffer the same pain again. The worst loss anyone can suffer is family severing ties. Kanan is disgusted with himself to acknowledge that he disowned Katerina for so long...and that he so willfully disowned her.

"GRAAH…" Kanan furiously threw his hands in the air in surrender. He can't meditate. There's too much on his mind! He needs air. Maybe then he'll discover a way of getting Katerina to come back. Ha. The Force has never granted miracles before. Maybe he can drown his sorrows in Ezra's training session. Kanana took one step out of his room. He stopped, rooted in terror by Zeb passing by his door. The Lasat stopped and leered at him with an expression that was blank yet oozing resentment. "Zeb…" His voice cracked

"Don't talk to me!" There was the bark of that underlying disdain. He stomped on his way, really wanting to get away from him before he does something he'll regret.

"Zeb, please, let me-"

"Explain? EXPLAIN WHAT?!" Zeb whipped around, furiously sweeping a hand. His claws ripped gashes into the wall. Kanan had a bead of sweat running down the side of his head. He was so glad he kept out of his reach. "There is NOTHING you can say to account for what you've done!" He forthed venomously at the mouth. He approached Kanan with thundering footsteps, coaxing Kanan backwards. "Do you have the slightest idea what this is doing to her?! What is DOES to her?!" He stressed. He knows. He's known for a long time now. "You think you're the only one affected by this, but you're not! You're so damn arrogant!"

"HEY, YOU DON'T-" Kanan's attempted to salvage his ego was suffocated by Zeb lifting him a foot off the ground by the collar.

"HERA is affected! Ezra, Sabine, Chopper - all affected! I-AM-A-FFEC-TED!" He shook Kanan viciously, completely immune to his pitiful prying at his large paws. Kanan felt his neck ready to snap off his spine. "Do you know why?!" Zeb quizzed him in a menacingly low tone, bringing him inches within his murderous gaze. Kanan was too dizzy for a snarky retort. "Because you preach that we're your family, that you care about us! But time after time you've only looked out for yourself and your delicate ego!" He threw Kanan against the wall, the wind leaving his lungs instantly.

Kanan was still standing, choking as the wind returned. "I...you...I don't..." The words weren't flowing. He can't find a single word to articulate that he didn't mean to hurt any of them. There was a block on those words fortifying into a massive barrier. Because, deep down, he knows Zeb is right. He sank in dismay as he succumbed to the internal truth. He didn't keep quiet for their sakes or to protect them. Kanan's been running for a long time. Having to face the past...it was too much.

Zeb inhaled hard through his nose, sucking back the tears stinging his eyes. His heart was tearing itself into ribbons. "The love of my life - the first one I've had in a long time - wasn't able to look at me! Do you get that?" Tiny hiccups from him fighting to control himself shook his voice. "She told me her story of blood, was confused by why it was so simple, and was unable to stomach looking at me!" Story...of blood? No. No, Kanan can't believe this. She isn't a killer! "She thought herself a monster! She sees herself as a monster now! And she won't know what to do because…" He bobbed a fist, seriously debating bashing Kanan's face in or punching the wall. Kanan kept his distance as best he could. Zeb wasn't letting him get far. Zeb sucked on his lips, trying his damnedest not to cry. "Because the one person she's supposed to trust more than anyone just lied to her. Who else can she trust?" If she can't trust her own brother...what makes her think she can trust a stranger she has feelings for?

"Zeb...I didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did, and it just cost us the best mechanic and friend we've had." And that was the end of that. Kanan was devastated into silence. His knees shaking as he started to crumble. He has lost her...lost her for good. Zeb was satisfied to have smacked him with the truth. "Ezra's waiting to train, and we've got a Trayvis report soon. Let's get to work." He charged his rifle, ensuring that he changed the bolts to stun. "Don't worry. Sabine and I will TRY not to shoot you." He makes zero promises. He left before he took a practice shot at him.

Kanan collapsed to his butt once he was sure he was alone. His eyes were wide, his whole body shaking, and his head was circling this drain that didn't grant him the mercy of swallowing it. At first he was silent, absorbing Zeb's words and fitting them with his own denial...and acceptance. He kept telling himself it wasn't bad. That he would be able to save Katerina, convince her he still loved her. He knows that won't work. He knows the damage has been done. And nothing he does from this point on will ever make things go back to the way they were. Not during their time as Ghost Crew Members...and not before.

"He's right...he's absolutely right…" Kanan clutched at his scalp, peeling his scalp with his nails. He squeezed his eyes closed, tears running down his cheeks. He grit his teeth so hard they bled. "Riina...I'm so sorry!" He sobbed into his knees.

From the cockpit, Hera listened with a broken heart, knowing she's as much to blame for this as he is. She closed the door, putting a hand to her chest. "Me too, Riina."

xxx

There is something very satisfying about Minister Tua having her pompous speech about dealing with the insurgents abruptly interrupted by Senator Gall Trayvis' cryptic messages. Maybe it's just because Tua's voice is worse than claws on the inside of an engine block.

"This is Senator in Exile Gall Trayvis coming to you with a reminder that the Empire applies the term 'insurgent' to anyone who dares defy their tyranny! Such as some very courageous souls on Lothal." He must know that the Ghost crew listens to his propaganda. They drink it up too. "To those rebels, I have a message." Way to really put a target on their backs there, Trayvis. "The Sun may have set on the Old Republic, but a new freedom can be won if we are brave enough to fight for it today." Brave enough to fight, or just dumb enough to raise a hand to the Empire and die believing in a bright tomorrow. "See you soon, my friends." And that was the end of his message.

Katerina must have listened to that recording a thousand times since it aired. She doesn't know why. It calms her for some reason. Guess she finds comfort in those deluded that things will get better. Gotta have hope somewhere in this bleak life. Never accepting, or admitting, that things will only get worse from here on in. The sun did set on the Old Republic, and it will stay set on this so called new freedom he preaches about. There is no freedom from the Empire. One way or another...someone is a tool for their destruction. And they may remain unwise to that fact for their whole lives.

Night was coming around when Katerina finally took a moment to gaze out at the scenery. She didn't even realize she'd been up there that whole time. Time certainly flies when you're lost in your thoughts. She should head down, go back to her hotel. There's a shuttle in the morning that will take her back to Chandrila. She doesn't want to miss it. She took one last look at the Old Republic building, basking in the memories etched into that beacon of better times. She doesn't know if she's sorry for those who passed, or envious that the dead don't have to live in this Hell. She'll come to a decision in the morning.

When she got down, however, Katerina was scared out of her skin by a large squad of Stormtroopers blazing past her. She's glad they all have a strong case of face blindness. She was able to duck into the alleyway and spotted that squad coming to join two other squads, and then they split off. She's not one to be shocked by a heavy Imperial presence, but this was ridiculous for this one sector. They must be looking for something, or someone, and aren't going to leave a single opening. Great, Kanan, what the Hell did you guys do now? Or someone of great importance might be on their way and they aren't taking any chances with security. Geez. Was it the Emperor himself or his minion Pryce? Neither of whom she is a big fan of.

Katerina's not sure what's happening, but she needs to get out of there before one of those schmucks recognizes her. Too bad she decided to walk instead of bringing the speeder she borrowed from the Ghost. Here's hoping it's where she left it back at the hotel. She skulked swiftly and silently through the alleys, head swinging side to side and jerking up every second. The moment a Stormtrooper catches her off guard that's it. She won't be able to escape a crowd this large. Not without a ride.

Thankfully, there were two lonely Stormtroopers parking their speeder to go take a leak in the alleyway. She loves the common man who relieves himself anywhere they please. "Hey, Guys!" They yelped at the female tone. The second they turned, POW POW, a single execution bolt exploded out the other side of their heads and their bodies dropped. Katerina put her pistol away, a grim grin glowing with her aquamarine leer. That was very satisfying. She hijacks a speeder and takes off in any random direction. She doesn't know where she's going, just that she needs to get going. Whatever way gets her back to the hotel.

"I'm not missing that shuttle because of these assholes!" She hissed to herself. "I have to talk to Mon!" If anyone is going to have the answers it's going to be her.

The whole drive, ducking in narrow streets or taking odd routes, Katerina was growing steadily more unnerved by the outrages number of Stormtroopers that are swarming the Capitol. It was becoming increasingly harder to see the average citizen amid all this snow. She's had to slow her speed considerably so she isn't stopped for driving recklessly, or just driving suspiciously. Who is she kidding?! She's a random person driving an Imperial speeder! She's amazed she hasn't been stopped sooner. Maybe she should have taken a can of Sabine's paint. Splotches of color would go wonders in removing that feeling she's being monitored because of her ride. After a while, though, she was starting to relax. She was back in the lower district where she ran into Leonis. Not too far from where she's holding up. It might be her imagination, but she'd swear the Stormtrooper numbers just got thicker.

"What the Hell is going on around here?!" She exclaimed in a screech. Even if Kanan and the crew were in town there is zero reason to have this many troops in one spot. Something else is going on. The last time she saw this many troopers was on Empire Day when Tseebo was running loose. "Don't tell me there's another sucker with an implant running around!"

"STOP THAT REBEL!"

Katerina slammed on the breaks, nearly getting bucked off on her aggressive stop. "REBEL?!" Her head snapped to where the shout came from. It was a blur, but she saw an abundance of orange attached to that blur. "OH YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" Can she not go one day without them causing issues?! She swung the speeder, taking off at rocket speed for that blur.

xxx

Ezra was running at mach speeds to get away from the stampede of Troopers that are uncharacteristically diligent in their chase. Normally he can ditch these guys with the first two turns. They were stuck to him like stink on Zeb's fur. They sure didn't like him knocking Zare over. And they were getting closer. Ezra made a few more desperate turns, backtracking here and there to trip them up. He'd lose one group, then another would take their place. Ezra made a wrong turn and wound up in a dead end. Before he could try for another route, the troopers had him cornered, and they didn't look in the mood to take prisoners. Leonis was with them, trying his hardest to wear of look of victory at having caught an insurgent. Inside he was writhing, begging that the officers wouldn't kill him. Ezra needs a miracle, and he needs it fast.

"This is ST 1-1-0, we've caught one of the insurgents and are-AH!" A stun ring knocked him flat on his stomach. The other four troopers and Zare spun in dismay of the sneak attack.

Katerina kicked off her speeder, ramming a shoulder full speed in the next Trooper's abdomen. "RIINA?!" Ezra screamed joyously.

"DIE, REBEL!" Katerina's eyes sharpened like knives, gleaming murderously at the trooper. He tried, and failed, to shoot her. Katerina ducked too fast. The bolt shot one of his own, killing him on the spot. She swept her foot and robbed him of his. He hit the ground, then she bashed her knuckles right into his neck. The one she hit with her shoulder was coming back for another round. Katerina took her pistol off stun and shot him square in the chest. She felt a barrel at her back and immediately spun, diverting the blaster toward the ground. She put her pistol to his forehead and looked him dead in the eye when she shot him. The one with the imprint on his neck wasn't down yet. Katerina took care of that. She heard something clang behind her. Out of reaction she whipped around and fired. Leonis screamed in terror, falling to his butt having the blot just graze the side of his head. Katerina gaped in horror, flashes of that one boy flooded her head. Her heart skipped a dozen beats, thanking her stars that she missed.

Leonis was terrified at nearly dying young, but he found this wound would validate the hectic battle he survived. He went up to Katerina, lifting the faceplate of his helmet. "Make it look good." He urged her.

Katerina was stunned he would ask such a thing, then thought about how suspicious him being the only conscious one would be. "Twice in one, day. Sorry." She closed her eyes, and with one punch Zare was sprawled on the floor in the muck with the rest. That actually hurt her knuckle a bit. She faced Ezra with an irked purse of her lips. He was relieved, overjoyed, and slightly unnerved to see her. He didn't think she was still on planet. "Just can't stay out of trouble, can you?!" She playfully scolded him, crossing her arms.

"Riina?! What are you-" More Troopers were heard drawing near their position. They must be the guys from before. "Nevermind! Can I get a lift to my parents place?"

"It'll cost ya." Katerina said nonchalantly, climbing onto the bike.

"Put it on my tab!" Ezra jumped on the back and held onto Katerina tight. It was partly a hug as well. He's missed her. She got them out of the alleyway before the troopers arrived with a tank to box them in. Troopers on speeders saw them and gave chase. This was a serious flashback to last time. "Um...Riina! Company!" Katerina huffed at his worries. Unlike last time, she wasn't going to dart around the city. Instead, time to make them chase their tails. Katerina took the alleyways for a short distance before emerging back to the main streets behind the barrage of Troopers and giving them the slip. For now, anyway. They need to get to Ezra's old place before they're cornered again. Of course it would have to be on the other side of town. "Nice…" Ezra felt like he could breathe.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" She spat, not in the mood for any small talk with him.

"We intercepted one of Gall Trayvis's messages! He's in hiding at the Old Republic Senate Building and we're going to rescue him." And that summed up the overzealous Imperial Presence in a nutshell! It is their fault like she thought.

"Big building in the upper quarter of the town?"

"Yeah." He exclaimed, glad to hear she sounded familiar with it.

"I was just there...thinking." She added with a roll of her eyes. Figures she's breaking the sound barrier because of Kanan and their biggest Rebel Fan. "Ezra, there are Imperials covering the place."

"No surprise. I just heard our friend Kallus is running an Op to capture Trayvis."

Considering she just saw Leonis for a second time today, she can guess he's the one who filled Ezra in. "That's bad. Trayvis is a Rebel Sympathizer!" And the Empire has made it abundantly clear how they feel about rebels and their friends. "He may have info that would devastate our future operations."

"Our operations?!" Ezra was sparkling.

"Don't get your hopes up! I'm not coming back!" She warned him. She's saving him because she cares about him still. It doesn't mean she wants to go back to the crew. Not while she still wants to strangle Hera and Kanan.

Ezra won't deny or hide it. He's sad to hear that. He was really hoping that she had cooled down, that she was still on this planet these past few days at least thinking about coming back. Honestly, he thought she stuck around because she was waiting for Kanan or Hera to come after her. Then...then he remembered one of the irks of living on Lothal. Shuttles to certain planets aren't a daily occurence. Short distance shuttles - like ones the go to Garrel - are constant. Shuttle for further planets - Chandrila - usually don't arrive for a day to seven days. He put his forehead to her back, smothering his shattered woes to her shirt. Katerina went rigid feeling his sorrow seep into her back, flooding to her heart. She hates disappointing him. She's sure Zeb is upset with her too. She has to find a way to make things up to them...sooner than later.

"Speaking of hopes…" Ezra anxiously attempted to keep the conversation rolling. The silence was a little too frightening. "I had a vision. Trayvis was in it."

Katerina nearly stepped on the brakes. She should have because she went too hard into a turn, scraping the walls. "You're having visions now?!" She gasped.

"Yeah, that's what Kanan said too!" He was astonished by how similar their reactions were. Katerina's mostly shocked because it means his powers are growing. "Anyway, I saw us - ALL OF US," He pat her back, assuring her she was there, "Rescuing Trayvis, fighting alongside him, and he said he knew my parents." Katerina blinked pensively, her mind drifting back to the photo Sabine refurbished for Ezra's birthday. She swears she's seen them before. She just can't place them. "Riina, we need you with us on this. Please." He begged.

"I can't, Ezra." She rasped defeatedly, lowering her head. She can't be around them. Not around Kanan or Hera.

Ezra bit in his lower lip, snarling under his breath. He was not having this! He shot forward and wrenched at the handlebars, forcing Katerina to pull over and stop. He was lucky he didn't get them in a crash or get them thrown off. "You've been teaching me I need to rise above myself! Put whatever troubles I have at the back of line for the greater good!" Katerina scrunched her face, glancing away. She wasn't going to admit to those being her exact words. A little hypocrisy for her oath. Adults are allowed to make those. "This is the greater good, Riina! The people need Trayvis and Trayvis needs the Ghost Crew - Specters 1 through 7!" He jabbed a fist into her back, earning a small grunt. "Just because you left the ship doesn't mean you get to leave us! We need you, Riina! Please!" He begged her with all his heart, clutching at her shoulders.

Katerina had to keep herself turned away. Ezra may not be a master of his Jedi powers just yet, but the boy's powers of persuasion are on par with that cute face of his. Katerina can hardly ever tell him no. He's sincere with his requests, never duplicitous with his plights, and he's such a pure hearted child that it kills Katerina whenever he's disappointed. With the exception of Zeb, Ezra is the main member of the crew she hates to let down. "Fine…" She exhaled exasperated. Ezra grinned in victory. He knew she'd cave. "I hate you sometimes, you know that?"

"I know you mean love!" He snuggled his cheek to hers. Katerina couldn't resist smiling.

xxx

Mon Mothma had to have a cup of tea poured for Bail. Their conversation was already intended to be a long jaunt down past historical mistakes. There was much to discuss. What he wasn't expecting was a saga that he had hoped was long ended. To think, this whole time, Katerina was in fact a clone of a Jedi and made to believe she was a sister found abandoned somewhere in the cosmos. It almost sounds like a novel, too rich with drama to be real. But it is. And now he's learning...Katerina had seizures? And those seizures led to Mon Mothma discovering Katerina's heritage.

"Kendril didn't adopt Katerina for the sake of adopting her." She needed that to be clear. No one adopts children on a whim. At least not the people she knew. "He met her one day - this doe eyed child with a passion for mechanics, a fire in her heart to protect those she loves, and a gleam in her eyes for the future." Bail snickered nostalgically, recalling his last meeting with Katerina. That is still her to this day. "She worked miracles on machines, never back down from any sort of challenge." Be it in mechanics or challenging authority. Rebel doesn't sound like it would be on her resume. "Show her a cruiser that has been put out of commission because of poor pressurization. She'd not only fix the pressurization, but would add a ray shielding modulation that would cover to holes in hulls. She made that from spare parts she found lying around." Bail was winded by the feats Katerina performed. He wishes he'd stopped by more often. "And if you asked me if her skills in mechanics matched her skills in combat…" Mon Mothma had to sit back because that was an amazing spectacle. "I'd warn you to tread carefully. She knows 20 different styles for wiedling a wrench." Bail can imagine Katerina as a wrench master of secret arts. "Kendril wanted to cultivate those skills, groom her into a mechanic that would lead her own crew one day into a new world order in engineering. And who wouldn't be afraid of defending herself or others."

"She hasn't slowed down in that passion." Bail reassured her.

Mon Mothma was pleased to hear it. She continued with her tale. "With permission from the Jedi, and permission from her brother, Kendril was able to take her under his wing. As long as she kept up with her training and studies." Made sense. She was a young child. Education is as important as one's aspirations. "He spent no more than a week with her and fell in love with her. He wished - prayed - that one day he would be able to have a daughter like her." From what Bail recalled about Kendril, the man was infertile. He wasn't able to have children of his own. Mon Mothma sighed heavily, her eyes glossing. "He got his wish in the worst way possible, but that is jumping ahead. Before he took her in as his own...she was...falling ill."

"Ill?!" Bail set his tea down. He was concerned by her tone. He knows this is where those seizures come in.

"No one knew how it began." Mon Mothma rubbed her left temple, still baffled by how it came on as suddenly as it did. "Katerina would be working, training, relaxing, and out of the blue she would start having strokes. Strokes that evolved into full blown seizures." She can't erase the images of seeing this poor girl writhing on the floor, spitting up bile, pleading for someone to make it stop. The pain she must have been in. "At first they rarely happened. So rare that Kendril thought nothing of them, and sought permission to take her to Chandrila where she can hone her skills." An odd request considering she was prone to seizures. But if they were rare, maybe there was nothing to worry about. Besides, Chandrila has cutting edge medical treatments. "He would not keep her long. Just long enough so she can complete an Engineering Course and have a wider range of options for her future." Wider than becoming a fighter against evil. "Being a soldier, or mix martial arts fighter, wasn't Katerina's dream occupation. Shocking as it sounds. She wanted to be a chief engineer one day. Fighting can be a stress reliever. A hobby."

"Far worse hobbies ot have, I suppose." Anyone remotely associated with the Jedi seems to inevitably become a soldier. He can only hope Katerina isn't succumbing to the madness.

xxx

Troopers had given up the chase for Ezra and Katerina, allowing them to head straight for the safe house. The last time she was there, Katerina was able to be amazed by what decent shape it was in. Normally, nothing would survive in a battle zone. Returning here months later, her heart sank in the shambles it was in. Barely standing amid the rubble as the sole beacon of better times. Ezra eagerly ran in, anxious to tell everyone the great news. Katerina followed unenthusiastically behind him...then she stopped and turned around.

Ezra was slightly disheartened to find the place empty...and dark. Not that it would be any other way. He figured Kanan and the others would have beat him here by now. Chopper came rolling out of the darkness, pleased to see Ezra finally showed up. When Ezra asked where everyone was, Chopper directed him to the secret hatch that resides under the ottoman. Ezra arched a brow, wondering why they would be down there. Not that he cares too much, but they could have stayed above ground. No one was going to come looking for them there.

"It's pretty old," Ezra heard Sabine speak, "He said his parents used it to broadcast from." She was likely talking about the old radio. Ezra started to climb down.

It was a pretty elaborate set up the Bridgers had. Kanan and Zeb meandered about the hideout, continuously impressed by the magnitude Ezra's parents went to. An underground station from which they can send out messages with promises of a brighter tomorrow. Keeping hope alive for those who had lost it. Ordinary citizens doing the extraordinary. It's something to admire...and pity, considering how it all ended.

"I don't get it…" Zeb sighed disheartened. "They weren't soldiers. Just citizens." No one in their right minds would stand up to the Empire like these people did and not find a way to keep running. Instead these people remained stationary, on their home planet, broadcasting their hatred for The Empire before being carted off and killed. "Why would they risk it all?"

"They had hope." Hera confirmed, fiddling with the radio in order to get a clear signal. Maybe it still works and they can figure out had to snoop on the enemy. Or maybe get their own message out. "They had hope that they could make the galaxy a better place for their son.

Sabine cleared her throat loudly, getsuring a hand to announce Ezra's arrival. He doesn't appreciate them going silent for his sake. He's not a little kid. He isn't sure, however, how he feels about Hera playing with his parents' old stuff. "Cutting it a little close. I know you don't wanna miss Trayvis's meeting." Sabine attempted to salvage what she can from the awkward conversation. "What kept you?!"

"You guys will never believe this! I'm here with…" He turned and was shocked to find no one was there with him. Sabine and Hera wondered if he was finally losing it. "Riina?" He mumbled. Kanan and Zeb's hearts skipped beats. "Riina!" He called again, rushing back up the ladder. Hera and Sabine exchanged astonished glances with the boys. Katerina was there?! They raced up the ladder, finding Ezra frothing at the mouth in rage. "No way! She promised! She said she'd come-"

"Ezra…" Hera called to him. Maybe he was seeing things.

"This is the last time I'll ask nicely!" The distinct voice of a trooper was right outside the front window. The Crew dropped instantly to the floor. Blasters were raised and charged at the ready.

"Oh yeah, because you've been asking nicely this whole time!"

"Katerina?!" Kanan gasped. The rest of the crew were stunned silent, disbelief racked their brains.

"Don't get smart with me, Loth Rat!" Ezra smirked triumphantly. She didn't leave. He should have a little more faith in people. He went over to the nearest window, beckoning the others over. When they gathered around, they were rooted in dismay by Katerina being surrounded at gunpoint by three troopers."Tell us where you got this speeder, and maybe we won't break your bones upon your arrest."

Katerina rolled her eyes, groaning with her arms folded. She isn't frightened by this pitiful bravado. "I told you found it lying around, cleaned it up, and took it for a spin." She put her hands to her hips, snickering up her breath as she leaned in close for her interrogator. "You losers should be more careful with your crap."

"YOU-" He rammed a fist right between her ribs. Katerina doubled over, clutching at her stomach. She spat up blood on her cough. "That oughta teach you some manners!"

In his fury, Zeb's paw dug a chunk of wall out. "Let's go, kid!"

"Right!" Ezra and Zeb were about to jump out the window to her aid. Katerina snapped a shimmering leer at them, stopping them in their tracks. She shook her head. Zeb and Ezra found that to be madness, then gaped in awe of a tiny piece of a barrel peeking from her arms. They resignedly controlled themselves, edging their teammates back.

"What are you doing?!" Kanan frothed.

"Just wait!" Zeb urged him, assuring him that Katerina is fine.

"Get her up! Let's try this again." The two troopers came beside her, each grabbing her with one hand. Katerina's arms unfolded from her stomach. Her pistols went right under their chins. "HEY-" Katerina pulled the trigger, their faces blown off inside their helmets. "WHY YOU-" He was too slow to pick up his balster. Katerina dove past him, her staff igniting in a stormy hue. The moment he turned, a blue, pristine beam was slicing through his neck. At first there was silence. The very air itself went dead. The Ghost crew crept out of Ezra's old house, approaching the stiff trooper. Small chokes and gargles breathed from the helmet. Trickles of blood seeped down his neck. His head rolled off his shoulders, his collapsing body revealing Katerina. She sheathed her staff, and smoothed her hair from her face. the most rancorous glare fell to Kanan and Hera. Their horrified expressions, and those of the crew, did nothing to dismay Katerina. They shouldn't look so surprised. After all, she's already told them, she's killed before.

"What have you two done?!" Sabine hissed at Kanan and Hera. Not even they know what they've wrought.

xxx

Mon Mothma and Bail handed their empty teacups to the protocol droid. It excused itself, prompting Mon Mothma to continue. "Six year old Katerina was left in Kendril's care...and she adapted well. She was like a member of the family." A niece Mon Mothma always wanted...never mind the cousin relationship. "Then, one day, her strokes returned." The screams that woke her in the night. They are fresh in her ears. "As I said before, they evolved into seizures. She'd drop hard out of nowhere, busting her head, lip, or jaw open." The injuries she's sustained from those seizures were immeasurable. "In the scope of the seven months, Katerina was missing classes because of seizures. The first was two months apart. Then a month apart, a week apart, until finally they started coming on daily." She was astonished they weren't an every hour thing. "Each attack was worse than the last. She was getting injured, having lapses in memory. One time she was paralyzed from the neck down. That broke after a day." It was feared by physicians that the parlysisi would become permanent should it happen again. "Kendril and I became afraid that she was dying, or that she would die. We took her to a doctor whom I had become good friends with. Argias Carver."

"I remember him. That was Tanya's friend!"

"The very same." That's a nice blast from the past. A shame the poor man passed on. "He was willing to see Katerina without cost, and without putting it on any records. If the Jedi or her brother knew…" Bail bobbed his head. Mon Mothma didn't care about scandals when people's lives were at stake. What she feared was losing the faith the Jedi and Kanan placed in her. They had enough to worry about with the war. They didn't need this. "Argias kept her for two weeks. He ran every test, gave her different medications - nothing was working. Then he performed a full X-Ray and MRI on her. That's when he saw it." She tapped on her head, able to visualize clear as day what was detected. "He contacted me and Kendril. In the left half of her brain - an inhibitor chip only found in the clones." Bail put a hand to his mouth, stifling a horrified gasp. The same chip that caused them to attack the Jedi. Bail clutched at his chest, hardly able to fathom it. "That was our initial reaction too. We didn't believe it. Thought it was a fluke. He was mistaken. Maybe it was an implant from her youth." A variety of things it could have been. Instead it had to be that heinous chip. "Because of a previous incident with two of the clones before, Argias got his hands on the chip that went bad one's head, and a perfectly fine chip from the other." It was asked how he got ahold of those. He wouldn't answer, but they were sure his source had blue skin and cat ears. "He compared them, found them to be identical. What's more, he already had access to files from the Jedi Archives and other medical reports, so it didn't take him long to acquire the reports of her relation to one Caleb Dume." She lowered her head. The results showed an exact match of DNA, blood type, even blood cell count. The only difference was she was made female. "She wasn't his sister. She was his exact clone replica. The first Jedi clone, and by the looks of things the last."

Bail ran a hand down his face, grasping at his mouth. "That is what you meant by the fortune of seizures." Had she not had them, she would have joined in on the purge.

"Like with the clone who killed one of the Jedi Masters, Katerina was having a terrible reaction to it." It was beyond terrible. It still aches her to this day how helpless she was to really save her. "The chip malfunctioned. But instead of making her go off on a killing spree, it gave her seizures."

"So it was removed?" He would assume it was removed.

"Not all of it." Bail was really starting to hate this story. What does she mean by not all of it?! "The chips may have been put on the same side of the brain, but they weren't in the same exact spot." All the clones started as children at some point, growing like anyone else. Naturally the chip would have moved as the brain grew with it. "The chip in Katerina's brain was lodged where she would suffer if it were entirely removed." Suffer more than having seizures? He doubts that. "Damage to the brain ranged from short or long term memory loss, a loss of passion for engineering - that was the brighter side." Can't get anymore gruesome. "The worst case scenario...would have been her winding up brain dead...or...or…" Bail recanted his previous statement. It could have gotten worse. Katerina...could have died. "Carver took a large portion of it out. The rest is still in her head." The one piece keeping her alive and healthy.

"Is it deactivated?" At the very least she can give him that sort of closure.

"I assumed so. She didn't kill the Jedi." She didn't break out of her work to go on a killing spree. "Although I did hear from Kendril that she disappeared suddenly when the purge happened." She scratched her head. "Argias wasn't able to find any way to deactivate it, but never worried after her seizures just stopped."

Bail pieced it together gradually. The chip might be active in her head still, but due to it being broken there is a very slim - nonexistent chance - it will ever pose as a threat. He doesn't know what to make of her disappearing during the purge, only that it could have been a coincidence. Her seizures stopped, and she's been living a healthy life. "Did the Jedi know?" He needed to know.

"No one did. Save for the ones involved in her creation." The Kaminoans. Traitors and vultures to the core. Even in death they are toying with people's lives. "No one ever would have known had we not taken her to the doctor." A secret that would have died with her eventually. "That being said, we informed them. They were horrified, and asked that Kendril and I continue to monitor her. Once we were sure she was fine, we were to bring her back." She sank somberly. "She left without our knowledge two years too late." Thus what began the long journey that has brought Bail to her doorstep. "Shortly after, when she returned, the Katerina Kendril and I loved...was no longer with us."

"What do you mean?" Bail questioned unnerved. "It gets worse?!"

She nodded woefully, squeezing her hands in her lap. "One nightmare gave birth to another, eventually forcing my hand and having me make Katerina disappear from the public eye."

"Why?!" Bail really doesn't want to hear anymore, but in order to prevent another incident like order 66, he has to keep pressing her. "What happened to Katerina that forced you to redact her very existence?!"

Mon Mothma wanted nothing more than to put this dreadful conversation to rest. It was too much on her heart. Having to relive it all. She wished it would stop. She wished Bail would stop asking. With a heavy heart she rose from her chair. She faced her back to him. "They say what doesn't kill you is supposed to make you stronger." Bail blushed a deep red seeing she was unbuttoning her clothes. As a gentleman he kept shying away, imploring her to stay covered. "In Katerina's case, whatever wasn't able to kill her...just made her more unstable." She dropped the top low enough to expose her mid back. "What she wasn't able to unleash that day...gradually molded into a vicious depravity no one could stop." Bail swallowed a massive lump, mustering the nerve to look. He was not able to suppress his loud gasp. Running diagonally down her back, a swollen gnarly welt, was a long, massive scar. The veins around it were blackened, making it seem like an infection took place. Bail was at a loss for words. Did Katerina...no. She wouldn't. "The wrath Katerina became capable of would be a sin she, myself, and Kendril would have to bear for the rest of our days. And for years...I watched it eat her alive."

To be continued.

Not much. Sorry. Am sick, and working too much overtime. Had to give you something. See you soon.