A Clone, A Person, or A Monster

xxx

It's most inappropriate of a man to place his hands upon a woman. Most egregious is it to place hands upon a woman whom one has had an outstanding friendship with for a grandiose amount of years. Bail could not contain himself. He traced his index and middle finger along the marring scar of Mon Mothma's back. Thick and swollen from puss that doesn't flow, gnarly from stitches that came undone several times, tainted veins from an arduous healing process. The depravity of what is displayed before him wrenched at his insides. His whole arm tingled as he stroked it. The rage that must have gone into this strike - he can hear the shrieks of the monster behind the blade. The screams of agony when Mon Mothma was felled. The fear she must have felt believing that would be her end on this mortal coil. And Katerina is the one who did this. He can't even begin to contemplate what went through her mind to possess her to commit such a violent act. It's monstrous.

"The veins you see...they are not veins." Mon Mothma thought she'd clear that up now. She can hear Bail's throat clenching. His nerves were failing him. "They're burns from an electrical lance." He gasped audibly, retracting his hand. Mon Mothma pulled up her clothes, fixing herself before taking her seat again. Bail recalled right then and there what Katerina's weapon of choice was. "Yes. Katerina struck me with her own hands, and later delivered me to the emergency where I was saved."

"She attacked you…?" Bail was lost for breath. He put a hand to his mouth, trying to stop the bile from escaping. "W-Why?!" He can't grasp it. Katerina attacked her...then made an effort to save her? "Why would she do such a thing?" Why would she behave so erratically?

"Kendril and I assumed it was due to her inability to adhere to her master's orders." The order to kill the Jedi, purge them from the universe. Removing much of the chip from her head prevented her from going. But that wasn't the source of her wrath. "It was far worse." She sank, wrapping her arms protectively to herself. "What Kendril and I failed to realize is that...what we considered madness from the chip," A night as dark as the abyss where only the dancing currents of electricity fueling the lance...and the murderous gleam of Katerina's eyes were visible, "Was actually the madness of a forever traumatized child. A child," The lance was lifted, gazed upon like a gift from the devil himself, "Whom I handed that weapon to." And the flames of her actions would come to burn her.

xxx

Kanan, Zeb, and Ezra dragged the stormtrooper corpses to the nearest dumpster. Kanan and Ezra held the lid open while Zeb tossed them in. Thankfully, a new city ordinance commissioned all trash receptacles sideline as incinerators. Cut back on sanitation costs, plus the ashes are put to some sort of strange use. The lid was closed. Then in a breath fury an intense heat roared from the lid, a blinding orange glow peeking out. The boys meandered back over to the girls, noses scrunching at the stench of Imperials all over them. They stopped in their tracks, standing with a horrified Sabine and Hera, watching Katerina put the head of the one Trooper she killed on a wandering astromech. She kicked it, told it to get on its way. She wanted the Troops to see one of their own being paraded. She swiped the memory chip to so the droid wouldn't be able to recall where it came from or who put its new decoration on. Her staff was still firmly clenched in her hand. Almost as if she can't bear to sheathe it. Danger has yet to pass for her. Which made Hera and Kanan ponder thoroughly, what does Katerina see them as.

Katerina sat to a crate outside the house, clutching at her staff and angling it to her shoulder. She closed her eyes, putting her forehead to her staff. She exhaled harshly, her breath visible on the night air. Her actions weighed heavily on her shoulders. What added to the tension was her so called friends watching her. I wonder if they believe me now. She hissed.

"Seriously…" Sabine hissed under her breath. She faced her back toward Katerina, glaring hard at Hera and Kanan, "What have you two done?" Kanan and Hera's mouths went dry, their breath hitching in their throats. If they were to be candid...they'd not have the first clue what they've done.

"N-nicely done, Riina!" Hera appalued her with a pitiful attempt to break the glacier of ice between them. Katerina's brow knit. Her muscles stiffened hearing her approach. She can feel her growing closer. Her stomach was in knots. "For...a second there...I thought-" She went to touch Katerina's shoulder only to have her hand swatted away. The slap wasn't loud at all, but it struck those around them like a bolt from a blaster. Hera felt herself be devastated by the assault, this barrier push her away. She did stagger from the rage oozing from Katerina, coiling to body and crushing her. Sabine dragged Hera away in anger, warning her that she's done enough.

Katerina partly opened her eyes, sneaking an apologetic glance to Ezra. She knows she promised him she'd try, but she can't do this. She doesn't have the stomach. And seeing Zeb, shaking his head in a plight for her not to leave, just broke her heart. She's failing both of them. As a friend...and as a lover. "I'm sorry." She muttered. She's not ready. She put her weapons away at least so she wouldn't lash out. Then she turned on her heels, starting to leave.

"Whoa! Riina, please wait!" Hera ripped herself from Sabine and chased her down, getting in front of her. She spread her arms as a small barricade. "Look, I get it!" Katerina wasn't listening. She moved side to side to escape her. "You're mad! I'm sorry! I would be mad too!" Katerina growled like an animal, locking a hate filled glare to her. No matter the steps she took, Hera bobbed with her, taking only small steps back when she got too close. She really doesn't want to get hit again. She can move as far as she'd like, Katerina would still get her. "Riina-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" She flashed within an inch of Hera and punched her. She managed to stay standing. Blood was dripping from inside her split cheek. Though she had screamed, Katerina wasn't in any way out of her wits with rage. Scarrier was hat she looked calm, collected...empty. "You...have...no right...to call me that." None of them do. She doesn't want to hear that name anymore!

"R...Katerina…" Hera caught herself. Having to say her full name choked her up. Katerina...was pushing her back. "Please believe me. I am so sorry…" She said with tears in her eyes.

"We both are!" Kanan made a move. Zeb got in his way, folding his arms like an impenetrable barrier. He gave off small snarls, growling like an animal thirsting for blood. Kanan was not going to get passed him without being laid out. "Riin…" He clenched a fist, biting his tongue. "Katerina, we're sorry. We know you're mad-"

Katerina threw her head back and howled annoyed. The worst migraine was setting in. "I'm passed mad." She strained to say, too exasperated. "I just want to be left alone." She hissed. Alone...that was safer for her. She glanced back at Ezra. "But someone said the greater good needs my help, so here I am. Trying hard not to lose his trust now." Ezra was glad to hear her say that, but now feels like he twisted her arm right off. "Not that I have much choice!" The edge returned to her voice. She motioned to Zeb to let Kanan pass. Not that he tried to come closer. "The Imps are likely aware by now that Rebels are here, so I can't exactly walk around alone!" She snarled irately. She whipped around to Kanan. "Causing problems wherever you go, aren't ya?"

"You don't know the situation!" He barked back, motioning a hand for her to relax.

"I don't know much, it seems. I mean, just look, I thought I knew you." She scoffed with a scathing glare. Kanan sucked on his lips, biting down so he won't say something he'll regret. "Not entirely fair. You thought you knew me too." She crooned darkly, shrugging indifferenlty. She brought her glowing aquamarine eyes within inches of him. "Baby Sister is also a killer."

"I don't believe that." Kanan rumbled disturbed. He refuses to believe that. He was shaking.

"You should." She snapped a hand to her handiwork splattered around them. How much more proof does he need? Kanan's neck tensed as he swallowed. Katerina can practically hear his heart pounding. "Or do I really need to demonstrate just what it is I'm capable of?"

"Hey, now, over here!" Zeb finally moved between her and Kanan, leading her to the side by her hands. He smoothed his large thumbs to her palms. He missed the sweet feel of her callused hands. "Look at me...please." He put a hand to her cheek, coaxing her hurt gaze to find his eyes. She struggled to look at him. He placed his forehead to hers, coaxing her head up. He smiled adorably, hoping to melt her sorrows. It hurt more that he was trying to hard. "Riina, please, we could use your help here." He lost his nerve on asking. He sucked on his dry lips. "I could really use you. We won't be able to succeed without you."

Katerina nibbled on her lower lip, coming apart in front of him. She touched his cheek. His fur tickled her palm. She missed him too. But...still… "I'm seriously debating if I'm in a helpful mood." She pulled away, hugging a hand to her arm in uncertainty.

"That's not true. You're always willing to help. That's the kind of person you are." Zeb pressed.

That's where the moment ran sour. She removed herself from his grasp, stepping away. "You're a nice enough guy, Zeb, but really slow on the pick up." She rumbled. "I'm not even a person to begin with!" That absolutely destroyed him and Kanan. To hear her label herself as...nothing. Such defeated, forlorn words didn't seem possible to be able to come from her.

Sabine got sick of this pity party. They are here for a mission, and the longer this drags on the less likely they'll be able to complete it. Or, at the very least, succeed. "Whatever you call yourself - Trayvis reached out for the Ghost Crew!" She was blunt, she was direct, and she had everyone gawking at her in shock. "You're still part of that whether you like it or not!" Katerina's mouth parted in shock. No words to contest her were uttered. "You promised Ezra you'd help us, that's what you're going to do! Clone or not, since when do you go back on your word?!"

Game, set, match - Sabine not only quelled the drama, but she put Katerina effectively in her place and trapped her with her own moral code. It was hard not to smile at her. Katerina's always loved that about Sabine. Always says what's on her mind and tells it how it is. It worked. "Let's do this. What's the plan?" She directed the question to Kanan. He bobbed his head in thanks she was joining them. Maybe he can reconcile for his mistake. The crew went back inside before anymore attention fell on them.

xxx

Lurking in the shadows where the moon's beams cannot reach, golden irises pierced the ebony hue. Grey ears were attuned to the drama that transpired just seconds ago. Out from the shadows stepped the Inquisitor, pleased as ever to see the strands unraveling hyperly. "A clone…" His razor sharp teeth shown in a grin of this glorious rift tainting the ever incomparable Ghost Crew. Lies, distrust, rage...and a touch of hate. This will be his key. The Jedi will be brought to his feet on their knees, the remaining crew members will be executed, and the girl - the clone - will be honorably added to his ranks. Whether she wishes for it or not. It is, after all, her primary objective. To serve those who created her. He vanished back into the blackness.

xxx

Kanan and Katerina paused at the door, whipping their heads up for the rooftops. Their hearts pounded at the sensation of eyes on them. Seeing nothing there did nothing to eliminate this fearful sensation. Something - someone - was there. They're sure of it. And they aren't gone. Not for long. They will need to work fast.

xxx

"Agent Kallus," The Inquisitor was practically skipping with feverish glee at how deliciously easy their mission has become, "I'm just stumbled upon some information that will please our masters." He meandered from rooftop to rooftop, coming across his personal TIE fighter.

"Really?!" Kallus's voice was dripping with skepticism, but there was intrigue in there somewhere. "And would this information require the dismissal of our current plan?"

"No, continue our operation." He confirmed, his smile splitting ear to ear. "This portion of our subterfuge is going to require a long term finesse."

"How long term? What are you planning?" It goes without saying, Kallus does not trust the Inquisitor as far as he can throw him. After their latests screw up with the Padawan and Mechanic, Kallus lost whatever faith resided in the Inquisitor's sense of tactics.

"Trust me, Agent Kallus, you will see it for yourself when they go to rescue their precious senator." He climbed into his TIE, strapping himself in. "A great divide is on the horizon." The TIE closed around him and off he went.

xxx

The air in Ezra's old house...yeah, that really shouldn't be talked about. Just, put it this way, the most polluted planet in the known universe - atmosphere ravaged by improperly burned fossil fuels, smog replacing clouds, all wildlife dying from poisoning, acid rains every friday and saturday, Sundays with hailstorms - is a paradise compared to this hiding hole. Ezra was already uncomfortable with everyone being in his parents' secret hideout before because they were talking about his them, trying to figure them out. Now it's even more awkward because Katerina is going through great lengths to keep her distance from Kanan and Hera. She had to stand on the other side of Zeb and Ezra to ensure herself and others she wouldn't be able to touch them. This mission was going to get a lot harder if Katerina doesn't cap her anger. She's no use to them distracted.

Ezra was able to brief the team on what he's learned since hearing Trayvis's transmission. Thanks to Katerina and Zare, he knows that the Empire is converging on Trayvis's location. They plan to capture him. Possibly kill him if they get the chance. Kallus will be the one running the operation. Which only added to the tension because lately it seems wherever Kallus rears his ugly head The Inquisitor is never far behind. Might actually explain that feeling Kanan and Katerina had earlier. Or it was just their nerves.

"The Empire obviously expects us to come to his rescue." Katerina stated gruffly. "And they're more than aware of our presence with the run around we've been giving them." We meaning her and Ezra. "If we're going to save Trayvis, we need to do it now and fast. The longer we stand her, the greater chances of being ambushed are."

"Riina's right…" Zeb stroked his chin troubled. "They'll have numbers." He rumbled.

"We'll have surprise." Kanan countered cleverly.

"What gives you that idea?" Sabine couldn't wait to hear this one.

"I'm being optimistic." Was Kanan's ever witty response.

Katerina deadpanned at the yet to be completely improvised - soon to be improvised again - plan brewing in that oversized head of his. "I hope this turns out better than your plan to boil noodles with your lightsaber." Chopper beep so loud he nearly broke their eardrums. Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb were holding their stomachs, snorting hard to not laugh. Hera turned away, keeping a hand to her mouth.

"This is ten times better than that plan!" He snarled, red as a cherry. He went over and dragged her by the wrist, lowering his voice to a whisper. "And you promised to never speak of that again." Katerina grinned like a Loth-Cat. She regrets nothing.

xxx

Kallus, joined by Minister Tua, just stood in his office absolutely dumbfounded by what The Inquisitor just shared. Never mind his report on a rift forging itself within the ranks of their vermin Ghost Crew. That is a sour chord they will pluck later. What truly shocked them to their system, had them trapped between cheers and screams, was that a relic from the past manage to survive like the cockroach she is. And she's been under their noses so many times...and they never knew.

"Are you certain of this?! Are you sure you have not misheard?!" Tua had to bombard him with questions. She braced herself to the projector, about to be floored by this culture shock.

"I do not mishear information." The Inquisitor was affronted as he reassured her. Her questions never cease to amaze him with their ignorance. "The Mechanic is a Clone from the Clone Wars. DNA derived from the Jedi Knight." The disbelief backhanded Kallus and Tua. And suddenly...why those two looked so similar, how she was able to match the Jedi skill for skill, why the Padawan looked to her for guidance, and why she seemed so familiar with Luminara Unduli. She isn't a non-Jedi. She is a Jedi clone. Was likely trained by them too. Her combat skills suggest she was trained by both clones and Jedi.

"That doesn't make sense!" Kallus blurted, pinching the bridge of his nose. His feeble mind was coming apart. "The clones were decommissioned and disposed nearly two decades ago! Tracked down by their chips!" The inhibitor chips in their skulls - The Inquisitor and Tua know very well. "How could she have eluded us for so long?" The chip would have given her away. Not even she would have been able to hide forever. "More importantly, how did she not adhere to that one order?" The order that purged the Jedi from the galaxy.

"You forget, Agent Kallus, some clones survived by removing their chips." A fact The Inquisitor's master became privy to and launched a full blown hunt to remove them. "By the sounds of it, she never knew she was a clone and therefore was unawares of the chip." Being unaware of something doesn't deactivate it. "Still, your inquiries bear merritt to the enigma on whether or not her chip was removed or merely malfunctioned." Previously, should a clone's chip be malfunctioning, it would cause behavioral or soon to be fatal side effects. Violent outbursts, mental wastrel, and so on. This girl seems to be in peak physical and mental condition. "It also begs the question if her redacted file has to do with this knowledge. Someone from the Clone Wars Era covering up their mess? Protecting an asset?"

"Maybe…" Tua mumbled. She was inclined to agree. An idea sparked a smirk to her lips. "If we were to capture this girl, make her see the error in defyingh er masters, we may gain a new weapon in our fight against these rebels." She forestalled their judgements by tapping on her head. "The chip is the key. If we restore it, we may just what we want." The Inquisitor and Kallus had to admit. That was a pretty sound plan. "However, until we acquire this girl, the ones hiding her must be dealt with. This is direct treason and conspiracy against the Empire." Harboring a criminal is one thing. But protecting by erasing their existence goes beyond unforgivable. "Where do we begin looking for answers?"

"Mothma's Garage." Kallus muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Where I first met this Clone Mechanic and discovered our rebels." Seems like years ago instead of months. "On Chandrila, the young lady owns a garage known as Mothma's Garage." A very impressive piece of real estate, he must say. "Further digging reveals it was owned by the late Chief Engineer Kendril Mothma - cousin to our own Senator Mon Mothma."

"Hmm…" Tua pondered this link. She knew of Kendril. Best of the best. has shops all across Chandrila, employed only the best, and never swindled his clients. May he be resting in peace. "It could be a coincidence. As we know, the young lady is quite good with tools. Kendril Mothma may have took a liking to her one day and merely passed the reins to her."

"Perhaps." The Inquisitor agreed, stroking his chin.

"But does that truly explain why the young lady clone's virtual presence is nonexistent?" Kallus added matter of factly. He brought up Katerina's picture and her annoyingly blackened out file. He brought their attention to the symbol stamped at the bottom. A common generic one that is seldom handed out by Imperial Senators. "Her redaction has the seal of someone from our own senate. We discovered this months ago, but had no leads. Now we do." He purred, bringing Mon Mothma's own photo beside Katerina's. Tua was quite disturbed to think such a respected senator would collude with criminals. "And we possibly have a leash to use as a noose for our rebels."

"That is if they do not strangle themselves first." The Inquisitor partially jested.

"Quite right." Kallus chuckled. Tua was licking her lips wanting to see the rebels tear themselves apart.

"Even so, it is worth investigating." The Inquisitor piped up. "Senator Mon Mothma has returned to Chandrila for a personal leave, correct?" Tua addressed the schedule of her fellow politicians on her data pad. She nodded, confirming Mon Mothma was still out. "Perhaps it is time I pay my respects." The Inquisitor turned on his heels, taking his leave. It is a long trip to Chandrila after all.

xxx

By the next afternoon, precisely when Trayvis hinted he'd be at the Old Republic building, the Ghost Crew fell out and was setting the city. They split into three different teams, taking alternate routes to prevent any eyes from falling on them. Their hands were still ready to draw a pistol the second a stormtrooper eyes them wrong.

The upper district doesn't look any less amazing in the afternoon than the morning. If anything, it almost looked rustic compared to its usual pristine morning shimmer. Free of blemishes from the Empire tyrannical miasma. The setting sun seemed to highlight the abrasions. Generally speaking, those marks would serve as badges of honor, memorializing Lothal's survival. Ezra hated seeing his home in the sunlight. Always reminds him of the lengths the Empire will go to in order to leave their mark.

Their first snag was hit when they ventured further into the upper district. The Empire was covering all their bases. Any route - above or below - to the republic building was being blocked. And any random civilian that was walking by was being searched invasively. The Ghost crew played their cards extra close to the vest. Getting caught before they have a chance to commit their newest crime would be a stain on their impeccable record. One way or another, though, they were going to reach their target. The Empire may have a knack for covering bases, but their arrogance always leaves one or two spots open thinking no one would be desperate enough to sneak through them. That's the Ghost Crew. So desperate to thwart the Empire they'll crawl through a rat hole.

In this case, they were a little lucky. Bridges that interconnect the complexes of the upper district have good vantage points. Stormtroopers weren't patrolling them too often due to their length. Instead they utilized their hover speeders to go from point A to point Q. B through P were kind of spaced out all over the place. The crew filed onto the bridge parallel from the republic building, keeping as low as they could. There was no cover out there. So far things were going well. And from the looks of things, security was really lax.

Sabine used her helmet's scope cam, getting a closer look at what they were up against. "There's a dignitary shuttle and two protocol droids on the platform. Trayvis must already be inside." She reported. She put the scope back, not able to see anything or anyone else. Which troubled her greatly. "Not seeing any Imperial forces."

"Well, they've gotta be around." Kanan was certain of that.

"There they are." Katerina spotted them on the ground levels. Thick squads covering all exits and entrances. "Looks like they have the whole area locked down."

"We've gotta get to Trayvis before the Empire moves in!" Ezra urged them.

"Wait! Why haven't they MOVED IN?" Hera asked on the side of caution.

"They want us too. It's a trap." Kanan answered exasperated. The Empire really hates making anything easy for them.

"Then, for once, I say, we don't walk into it." Zeb proposed sardonically. He'd appreciate it if they wouldn't go stirring up the hornets' nest and just go back to the ship. "We don't even know FOR SURE if your precious Senator is in there!" He stressed to Ezra.

"YES-WE-DO! I saw it!" Ezra will not be deterred.

"Ezra, there's one thing you need to know about visions." Katerina piped up, fanning his and Zeb's flames to a mild burn. "They are empowered by the future, and the future is always changing. Trayvis may be in there, or he'll be in there tomorrow." She directed his attention to the ship. "That type of ship is flown by a dozen Senators. Mon has one." Ezra san miserably, gradually succumbing to doubt. Katerina perked him up again when she wrapped an arm to his shoulder. "But the seal for me are your strong feelings. Jedi have been known to become obsessive when this unknown wave of certainty comes with their visions." Ezra beamed at her, feeling strong in his belief again. He knew he wouldn't regret having her around.

Kanan and Hera were really glad to have her aboard. "IF we can get up there without being seen," And that's an enormous IF. They can never stay hidden for the entire operation, "Maybe we can fly him out on his own ship."

"I know a way in!" Ezra said with his increasing boundless confidence. "No one will see us." Sabine's face scrunched in skepticism. She isn't so sure where he was about to take them. "Hey, I survived alone against the Empire for eight years." And he survived on this planet. No one can ever outmaneuver him. "C'mon." He led the charge.

Hera and Kanan lingered behind for a bit, watching the hapless boy they scrounge up on accident so many months ago grown into a young man. "That is one great kid we have." Hera nudged Kanan.

"Yeah…" He sighed heavily. Sorrow snaked into his veins when he glanced to Katerina who was ruffling his hair lovingly. "Too bad we're losing one in the process."

xxx

Bail stood with Mon Mothma, growing all the more concerned as her tale progressed. "When she returned to us from Coruscant - a visit we knew nothing of until her return - she wasn't the same." Mon Mothma meandered to the railing of her balcony, grasping the bar so she wouldn't collapse under her folly. "She was broken, angry, sad, mourning the loss of everyone she knew and loved at that temple. Her brother gone." The only family she had in this life was taken from her forever. "After the death of the Jedi, Katerina fell into a pit of despair." More than fell. Were it she stood on this railing beside Mon Mothma, she would have closed her eyes and let gravity take its hold. Would Mon Mothma have tried to stop her? Yes. She would have done anything to save her. But she couldn't. "She hardly ate, she rarely slept, her grades fell - she rotted away in her room." She lost count on te number of times she smelt the combination of rotting food and body odor. It was a wonder Katerina didn't just relieve herself in her room too. "Kendril couldn't get her to come out. She wouldn't even touch the tools he'd lay in front of her. She just sat there and wasted away." Little by little, her plump cheeks sunk to the bone. Her body just emaciated right before their eyes. "For nearly two years she was like this, and there was nothing we could do to break her from it."

"What did you expect?" Bail had to dish some harsh truth. "The girl was...six? Eight?"

"She was eight when the Jedi died."

"Precisely. It is a wonder she did not have nightmares."

"You cannot have nightmares if you never sleep." She added grimly. Bail swallowed a large lump. Her sleep was that bad.

"Then one day, there was an incident." She folded her arms on the railing, squeezing her bicep. Splashes of red mixed with blood curdling screams...and knife gleaming aquamarine filled her veins with ice. "Kendril and I took her to a function and there were these boys that took a liking to poking fun at her." Bail can already see where this was going. Might as well put an active hive between those boys and let them go at it. "For most of the day she ignored them, kept to herself and stayed away from them. They wouldn't leave her be." She can still hear their taunts at her, how angry she was that she couldn't tell those boys to leave. "Gradually she broke from her woeful silence, and was being consumed by rage. That rage grew and grew until it boiled over." All she needed was one more push...and those boys pushed her. "One of the boys went too far kicked a ball in her face. Katerina lost control of herself. There was a maintenance man working on the light fixtures. She took his wrench." The boys tried to laugh seeing this small girl with a big wrench. Those laughs quickly turned to plights for mercy. "I'll never forget the screams. She bludgeoned those boys to the brink of death. The look in her eyes as she assaulted them…" She was laughing too. Katerina was laughing. "I had never seen such relief on her face. Such joy." It still makes her shake. "What she couldn't exact on those who robbed her of everything, she took out on those boys." And she never regretted it. "Yes, the parents attempted to blame Katerina. Unfortunately for them, those boys had been pains to everyone and they were chased out of the function. But Katerina did need to be dealt with, and she needed to be dealt with fast." Otherwise, the next time Kendril would see her would be in a correctional facility. "For two years she was this ball of isolated anger. She'd stew in her pain and then use anyone and anything as an excuse to exact harm."

"How does that lead to her weapon?" He was curious.

"It was part of her punishment." Somehow, Bail doesn't see that as a punishment. Giving her a weapon when she's already lashing out violently. "The staff was originally an electric bo staff that I hadn't touched since my youth." It was collecting dust in her closet. "I gave it to Kendril and I told him to get her to use her hands how they were meant to be used." The hands of an engineer. Not a murderer. "Kendril took the staff to Katerina, and he told her, Your hands are meant to build, not destroy. Just as your masters and brother taught you." She can still hear him. His voice always in her heart. "Either reinvigorate your gift, assemble this into what will protect you and others," Just as the Jedi constructed their lightsabers,"Or never build again." A death sentence for someone like Katerina."Those who use their hands solely to harm others have no business rebuilding a piece of another's life!"

A sound ultimatum if Bail ever heard one. Katerina lived for building and fixing machines. If her passion was true, then she would see the error in her ways. "She accepted." He responded confidently.

"She did more than accept. She turned that piece of junk into an extraordinary weapon! And it only took her two days." Mon Mothma can't begin to explain the science and craftsmanship that went into it. She took random everyday items, sawed down and refurbished the shafts, and just went to town. After those two days, Kendril and Mon Mothma didn't even recognize the weapon. Or Katerina. "Her hands were scratched up and burned from the trial and errors. Even when her hands were bandaged and put in braces she was still working on it. Perfecting it." She'd be fast asleep with that staff in her hands, then wake up bright and early and work on it again. "Her drive was to not disappoint Kendril or me. To regain our trust." And Katerina certainly earned it. For a time. "Once she finished, Kendril told her that the Jedi fought for peace, and Engineers work to build a future." A solid mantra. "She's a Jedi in spirit, an Engineer at heart. He believed - even on his deathbed - that she would build a future where peace would reign." She lowered her head. "My faith in her wasn't as steadfast."

Bail doesn't blame her. "Because she lost control again."

"More than lost control." It gets worse. "She became a soldier with a mission." Worse still, she was a soldier with a gun. "And that mission would bring a river of blood to run at her feet."

xxx

Ezra's miracle route started at an access hatch on the ground level. He knows it'll get them in. The only problem - or problems - is that a Stormtrooper and an astromech were guarding the thing. This is where Chopper and Katerina can add their second notch for their expert team up skills. Chopper ran up on the mech, screaming profanities at it for it to take a hike before he dismantles him. The mech didn't like Chopper's tone at all.

"Where the Hell did you come from?" The stormtrooper asked, approaching Chopper with his gun raised.

"C-P?! C-P?! Where-" Katerina came around the corner, ignoring the stormtrooper having his gun train on her. "C-P! There you are!" She ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "Where have you been?! I've been worried sick!"

"This area is off limits! Move along!" The troopers ruined this tender moment, waving his gun at them.

"Cool your polish shorts, trooper! We'll leave after we're done!" Chopper used that as his cue and stunned his fellow astromech. The trooper howled in anger, about to shoot Chopper. Katerina was quicker on the draw and stunned the trooper. "Done." She chirped, blowing on his pistol. That was so easy she almost feels guilty. Nah, nevermind. She only wishes she'd blown his face off like the others. "A please to work with you as always, Chopper."

"^Oh, I'm not done with these putzes yet.^" That had Katerina scared. Chopper proved he was the more depraved by mopping the trooper and mech together. He opened the hatch from the access port. Right as the rest of the crew appeared, Chopper was surrounded by horrified gapes when he shoved the mech and trooper into the hole. Katerina was flinching at the crashing and banging, and the sounds of bones and armor snapping, and then that final crash nearly crumbled her. Chopper flexed his prongs in pride. If he could pat himself on the back he would.

Katerina peeked inside, thanking the heavens it was too dark to see down too far. She doesn't want to know what happened to those guys. "You are one brutal droid." Chopper cackled evilly, getting behind her. "NOPE!" SHe scrambled away, running over to Zeb. He snarled at Chopper, and that little droid had no shame in his game.

Zeb knelt to the edge of the hatch. A strange smell was coming out of it. He gave it a couple of good smells, and figured out why his lunch wanted to come back up. "It's a sewer pipe!"

"Yes it is!" Ezra enjoyed when Zeb stated the obvious. Made his job so much easier. "And I can pretty much guarantee we're not going to run into any stormtroopers down there." With that smell, Zeb doesn't think they'll run into a rat down there.

One by one the crew climbed in. Sabine made her discontent audible. She was going to talk with Hera and Kanan about taking less routes that will leave her soaking in the tub for hours. Katerina was going in next. Kanan made the mistake of trying to balance her as she went in. She glared murderously at him, frightening him back. Touching her would be the second dumbest thing he's done. He waited a bit before climbing in after her. "Okay, Chop, stay here in case we need a backup-HEY!" Chopper didn't need to be told the obvious so he shut the door on Kanan. Good thing Kanan has lightning fast reflexes. Still, he was going to kill that droid.

"I think a few hairs just sprinkled on my head." Katerina snickered darkly, jumping off the ladder.

"So glad you find it funny." Kanan mumbled, jumping off after his crew. "Ezra, how do you know about this place?"

"Used to be overflowing with water down here. Too much to walkthrough." Making getting around stormtroopers extremely arduous. "But since the Empire started rationing, pretty dry."

"Hasn't helped the smell!" Zeb fanned at his nose. He was gonna be sick.

"Speaking of which, it does smell like you." Sabine commented with her usual sarcasm. Zeb was offended. "I was talking to Ezra."

"Wait, you know what I smell like?" The seemed to make him real happy.

"I think the inside of a turbine engine smells worse." Katerina chimed in.

"Can we FOCUS, please?" Kanan stressed.

"This IS us focused." Katerina haughtily retorted.

"On second thought, Riina, you're a bad influence on the kids!" He declared. Sabine and Ezra happily fist bumped their Aunt Riina.

The walk didn't seem very long. Ezra really knew where he was going. They found another ladder. Kanan was the first to go up to escape this tedious conversation. Hera and Ezra climbed up with him while the others kept watch. Just because stormtroopers aren't seen doesn't mean one or two didn't get curious and come down there.

Hera, Kanan, and Ezra poked their heads out oof the hatch. Hera and Kanan were stunned to see how close they had come to the dignitary ship they saw from earlier. Who would have thought that hatch would take them RIGHT ONTO the old Republic Building. Trayvis wasn't far now. Just a few more steps. The only thing standing between them and Trayvis were the two armed protocol droids.

"What do you think?" Ezra whispered to Kanan. They could sneak past the droids. They aren't exactly fast.

"Better safe than sorry." Kanan decided. The risk was too great right now. He stretched a hand. Hera and Ezra watched with eager anticipation. A loud clang came from the ship, coaxing the two protocol droids to go investigate. Seriously, it was too easy to fool guards. They climbed out and headed for the building. Zeb, Katerina, and Sabine came out next, ready to break inside to liberate the senator. "Hold on." Kanan was going to keep erring on the side of caution. "You three up top." He expects surprises.

"Want a lift?" Zeb asked the two ladies. He gave them legs up, then they helped pull him up.

The trio waited for Kanan and the others to head inside, and then they went for a skylight. "I swear this senator better be here or his name is mud!" Katerina snarled.

"C'mon! You're not having a good time?" Sabine sardonically quizzed. Katerina sneered at her grimly. "Riina, you can't stay mad at them forever."

"Watch me!" She dared her. "And do you want to know what's worse? Ken and Mon possibly knew and never told me!" That does make it worse, Zeb and Sabine had to admit. "I seriously would be less hurt right now if either of them, Hera, or Kanan came to me and told me right when they found out!" She knelt to the skylight, irritated by the security lock sealing it closed. She took out a small wax caplet and placed it to the lock. The metals of the lock reacted with the wax, melting it into an acid that ate right through the lock. "Instead I have to find out through a locked door after being berated for weeks!"

"We know it sucks-"

"It more than sucks, Sabine! It hurts! A lot!" And Katerina was growing increasingly annoyed that everyone is expecting her to just forgive and forget for the simple fact that they are on a mission together. "For someone who clearly also has trust issues, I would expect you of all people to get it!" She slipped inside the skylight.

Zeb was speechless, then cringed seeing how stunned Sabine was. That helmet wasn't able to hide that Katerina's words hit. Sabine raised a hand, stopping Zeb from offering any sort of words of comfort, and went in after Katerina. Zeb sighed heavily, sensing a great divide on the horizon. "There really is nothing more that can be said." He said defeatedly. She...she's not going to come back.

xxx

The skylight let Sabine, Zeb, and Katerina into the beams of the towering ceiling, coming to a wide ledge that ran around the perimeter. The minute Zeb closed the skylight, the tinted windows cast them in shadow. Zeb and Katerina waited till their eyes adjusted to the stark lighting. Sabine led the way with her night vision, urging Zeb and Katerina to keep close.

"You know you're gonna have to apologize." Zeb mumbled in Katerina's ear.

"Yeah...I know…." She does feel terrible for her words.

They stalked along the ledge, keeping their forms low and still. Sabine and Katerina tipoted so lightly they barely made a sound. Zeb wasn't as light, but he'd be able to get the drop on unsuspecting troopers if they weren't looking up. minding the tools left behind from maintenance workers. From the disarray they were in, the workers were made to leave quickly. Katerina would have fired these guys on the spot for such a reckless care. She stopped a moment, spotting a welding gun. That could come in handy. She slipped it to her holster.

The muffled shrieks of laser bolts scared the trio out of their skin. The distinct sound of overlapping barked orders sent ice through their veins. The Empire had arrived, which can only mean two things. Trayvis was here...or it was all a trap from the start!

xxx

He was right there! RIGHT THERE! And Kanan, Hera, and Ezra waltzed right into a cleverly laid plan by none other than Agent Kallus of the ISB. He was strutting in very proud cop at having his rebels surrounded. They weren't even able to really get out a warning of Trayvis's dangerous situation before Kallus's men dismantled the two Protocol droids with the him, and swarmed the rebels. Hera kept the Senator behind her, standing firm as the barbed fortress that wouldn't let the troopers or Kallus come another step closer. Kanan and Ezra had their lightsabers drawn, holding the troopers at bay in fear. One Jedi with a lightsaber was dangerous enough. They aren't sure they can handle two. Kallus wasn't scared. Not one bit. In fact, he was relishing a chance at a second round with these Jedi. The humiliation he suffered at their hands will finally be eliminated from his ego and replaced with a badge of the highest honor. It might even come with a promotion.

"Kanan Jarrus - Jedi Knight." Kallus began complacently, wrankling Kanan fiercely at learning his name. Saving grace is he doesn't know his real name. "Padawan Jabba." Ezra was really growing sick of that joke. He regrets ever making it. Kallus kept taking these long stride, torturously slow steps closer, confining the rebels into a narrow corner of the republic building's auditorium. "And what have we here?" He purred spotting Hera. "A Twi'lek I've yet to meet." She sneered at him. That's a meeting she could have gone her whole life without having. "From your regalia I suspect you must be our talented pilot." The disgust didn't go unnoticed. Hera's made fools out of their best pilots. Now he was going to clip her wings for good.

As if today wasn't annoying enough, Minister Tua came strutting in. While she was glad to see a handful of the rebels, she wrinkled her nose at hte missing members. "Where are the Lasat, mechanic, and Mandalorian girl?!" Kanan and Hera disliked how Tua said mechanic. They don't know why. It just...bugged them.

"If you don't talk, my troopers will become a firing squad!" Kallus promised.

"You better do as he says." Trayvis implored.

"Don't worry, Senator. Our friends will be along." Ezra winked at him, making half glances at the ceiling. Trayvis hopes the boy will forgive him for not being very hopeful.

xxx

Katerina, Sabine, and Zeb finished their trek on the beams, coming right above the party they were late to. Oh well. It is proper to save the best for last. Sabine even provided the party favors. A few smoke bombs will liven up the mood, get the laser show rolling. Katerina was anxious to hit the dance floor. She and Zeb activated the bombs. Katerina had her yet to be activated staff in hand. Zeb and Katerina gave smirking nods, and the smoke bombs flew. Neither Kallus nor his troops didn't have a moment to react before smoke blew up in their faces, shrouding his so called captured rebels. Katerina's staff brilliantly came to life in the blackness.

"That sound…" Trayvis gasped under his breath with nauseous dread. The sound clenched at his ear viciously. Katerina cackled darkly and dove into the fray. She landed on her haunches like a crazed animal behind Trayvis. The piercing gleam of her eyes all but visible in the smoke. She ran right into the smoke, laughing loudly. Flashes of blue erupted, followed by pained wails. Trayvis and Hera turned to see the heads of three troopers rolling into view. Hera was disgusted by Katerina's new take on fighting. Trayvis, on the other hand, was entranced. Not in admiration...but...those flurries of blue and white. "I've...seen this…" And the laughter. That depraved, deep throat laugh. "I...know...that-"

"LOOK OUT!" Hera shoved him to the ground, standing over him before shooting two more troopers. "Stay close, Senator!"

"R-Right…!" He lost his train of thought, but was gradually getting it rolling with the ongoing fray.

Zeb came soaring down, roaring his war cry. Four troopers made the mistake of trying to jump him. He batted them up the head with his bostaff, he jabbed the taser ends into their ribs. He was a god amongst these tin mortals. All fall before him and his might. Sabine played the safe card and kept her sniping position above the cloud, taking out one trooper at a time with minimal effort. She was steadily regretting her smoke bomb idea. The cloud was still growing, and was getting too thick to tell friend from foe. The sabers were becoming hard enough to see as it is. Hera kept Trayvis at her back, dancing him around as she took down the troops getting too close. They were another inch from laying a hand on Trayvis because the smoke would thickening. Ezra and Kanan did their best to deflect the laser bolts. But much like Kallus and his bumbling brigade, it was becoming harder to see.

Trayvis was tripping over himself at every sound. He was spinning in every direction, terrified the one of those bolts would hit him. The footsteps and yelling didn't seem to have a source. They sounded close, far - a couple of troopers bumped into him but were taken out by the Jedi. The Lasat trampled on him, snarling at not being able to see. He was nearly hit by friendly fire. He couldn't take it anymore. It was too much. He had to get out of there. He screamed at the top of his lungs, running for his life in any random direction. "SENATOR!" Hera screamed, but was restrained by a trooper. She easily broke his hold and laid him out, then she lost the Senator. "KATERINA!" She cried.

Trayvis was clawed at the smoke, peeling it like a perpetual curtain trapping him. He ran face first into a trooper, and he and his partner turned and aimed at him. Trayvis whimpered pathetically, throwing his hands up. "You're coming with us traito-UGH!" An electrified blue and white lancehead sprouted out of his chest, his words dying on his last breath.

Trayvis gawked in absolute terror, frozen completely still as that lance...that very lance...and the piercing eyes of its owner...plunged him into an age old nightmare. "I...remember…that blade..." The lance was ripped from the trooper, his body kicked over. Katerina emerged standing tall, grinning darkly at the trembling trooper next to her. He was stammering to beg her to spare him. Katerina flourished her staff in one hand. The dancing blades transfixed Trayvis. "I remember...those eyes…" Eyes full of rage, cruelty, and sickening joy. The trooper tried to run. With one motion she sliced a massive gash from armor to bone, dropping him like the puppet he is. Trayvis stood rooted, legs knocking at the corpses at his feet. "Yes...yes...I remember it all…"

"You need to stay close, Senator!" Katerina scolded him, flipping her staff to her back. "Otherwise, it'll really upset Ezra if you get killed." Trayvis said nothing. He just stood there and watched her take a defensive position. His mind circling a drain that always leaked with dark desire for vengeance. The laugh...the weapon...those eyes...the carnage...there was no mistaking it. Trayvis knew this all too well. He bore witness to it...six years ago.

xxx

Mon Mothma brought Bail inside. The balcony felt too exposed to continue their conversation out there any longer. "Kendril had to be on the run with her for years for fear the Empire would seek her." She offered him a seat on her couch. He happily accepted due to the fact if he stood he might fall over. "The Empire was scouring for any and all affiliates of the Jedi, and for those of us in the senate who refused to adhere to their will." A plot most likely to either rein in those who would be defiant. Threaten their friends or family to get them to submit. Or just a simple scheme to remove any and all who would oppose them. "Yes, I made her presence vanish, but it wasn't unknown that there were wards of Jedi lurking about." Katerina wasn't the only famous one there. Aids of Senators were hunted too. "Kendril feared for her safety, so he hid her by jumping from planet to planet. Never lingering for longer than a month." Uprooting her until eventually they came back with a droid and Nautolan friend. "Eventually they were able to come home. But, as I've said before, Katerina had changed." Changes in a way no one could have predicted. "To keep from having to run again, Katerina took up the weapon she had created and trained."

Katerina trained relentlessly. 12 hours everyday - crack of dawn to setting sun. Never took a break, not even when she was sick. She was calling upon her lessons with the Jedi and Clones and honing her old skills. She developed new ones in the process, figured a way to get her mechanic skills to help her. By day she was a mechanic, but night a vigilante. She trained in the caves of Chandrila often. There was one time she came back from training and looked...uplifted. Mon Mothma remembers that day. She looked like she had seen an old friend. She never said who or if someone even came. She just seemed at peace. Katerina would never tell anyone it was Obi-Wan. He's hiding for a reason.

"She always worked herself harder and harder. Never letting up!" It was something to admire and fear. She worked herself to the brink of exhaustion. She's been hospitalized a few times and yet still trained. "Then...the unthinkable happened."

"More unthinkable than attacking you?" Bail finds that hard to believe.

"Lingering clones began to turn up." Bail's shoulders sank. That was impossible. The clones were to have been destroyed. "My reaction exactly. I had seen them a couple of times, my colleagues were hearing rumors that they've taken on normal jobs." No shock there. Everyone knew about CUt Laquain eventually. "One made the mistake of entering Kendril's shop. Katerina saw him." She lowered her head, shaking it. "I don't know what happened after that. All I can remember is hearing on the news that a Clone was found thrown in a trash compactor. I didn't think it was her…" Bail doesn't want to think so either. But he doesn't have to be there to know, just from this story, that it was her. "Then surviving clones started turning up dead, and Kendril told me Katerina was disappearing at night." Never a good sign. "She was scouring the net for surviving Clones, asking around about them, finding and killing them left and right, leaving them as symbols for the Empire that someone was still alive to fight." She was becoming a mass murderer. Not a soldier. "Then when Stormtroopers started coming into the mix…"

"She began attacking them." Bail finished. "Killing them."

"And their supporters." Mon Mothma choked.

"What?!" Bail gasped in terror.

"Katerina was attacking anyone and everyone who supported - or so much as showed partiality to - stormtroopers!" Mon Mothma's impassive demeanor slipped into anger. Her eyes were stinging with welling tears. "Innocent people with an innocent opinion! She despised them all!" She said with a sweep of her hand. She killed them all. "Her rage was climbing again! We tried to stop her! She lashed out at Kendril and broke his leg in five places! I tired to put her on house arrest…!" She trailed off panting, touching at her shoulder.

"And that is how you got that mark." He finished for her, still able to feel the burn of her scar.

"The doctors stated that another inch deeper would have ended my life." A good thing Katerina had some standard of restraint. "The blood I lost - I thank the stars that Kendril and I share blood types and family ties." He's saved her many times since they were children. She would have made him a senator or her aid if he wanted it. "I was in the hospital for weeks. It took a month to rehabilitate." Walking was the hardest. Not as hard as Katerina distancing herself. "She ran away, kept her distance. Kendril and I scoured the planet for her. We discovered she was in the forest. Why? We don't know. Probably another place she'd like to train in secrecy." Discovering her secret training grounds in the caves violated her space. Katerina was very private. Mon Mothma doesn't know what happened in that forest. She's just glad she had a meeting to go to. "All I knew, from what Kendril told me, is that Katerina's fury robbed a boy no older than her of his life." Her heart still mourns for that boy. "The nephew of a once prominent Senator of our Senate."

And that, for Bail, was the crushing weight of Mon Mothma's drowning tale. The abyss that would swallow anyone whole and never release them. Katerina killed a child...worse. She killed the child of a senator. leading further into why she was obscured from the public eye. "Dare I ask…" His heart was pounding, unable to take much more. His throat clenched, begging not to ask. "Who was the senator?" He asked. And there there was no going back.

xxx

Trayvis was numb to the battle around him. He cared not who was winning and who was losing. He was glued to Katerina...and the depraved joy she was exuding rooting the troopers.Those eyes...I recognize those eyes. He will never forget the piercing gleam that petrified him past the bone. A weapon that beckons lightning itself. It strikes with the same ferocity, and robs all of their life with one blow. And that laugh...One that doesn't care if misery surrounds them. "Six years…" He hissed under his breath. It was a night he will never forget. In skipping flashes his wavering consciousness brought him to those woods, screams which lured him to a clearing, there he saw a monster in human flesh standing amid a field of bodies...a young boy who he loved dearly at her feet, the light forever gone from his eyes. "After six years…I have finally found you." The dead boy, and an aged woman hanging by a rope, boiled his blood and shattered his heart. A blaster dropped by one of the troopers was at his feet. Her back was to him. This was his chance. He picked it up. Six years he's waited...six years he's suffered...he doesn't care if its the same person or someone that looks like her...he was find peace. "Now, Anderson...Anna…" His finger wrapped to the trigger, "You will be avenged!"

To be continued