Third chapter! I sure hope you guys enjoy reading!
-CW-
The men cautiously moved forward, blaster ready as they made their way through the ruins of the base. They had been called in to investigate this base when
communications between the base and the Temple abruptly ceased. Transmissions were jammed, leading them to believe that something had indeed happened to their
fellow soldiers. Of course, their suspicions were proven correct the moment they arrived to find the base in shambles. Clearly, a battle had taken place. There was
damage everywhere, dark marks telling where blaster shots had been fired and explosions had occurred. Bodies were strewn all over the place.
"How's it looking, Rex?" A voice came through the com-link on the Captain's wrist. Rex silently sighed, internally mourning the deaths of his brothers, shaking his head
as he took in all of the fallen Clones.
"Not too good, General." Came the reply. "We're searching for survivors," He paused for a moment, sparing a glance at his men. Every Clone was checking each body
they came across, hoping one might have miraculously survived the malicious attack. Their hope was diminished when the Clone holding the radar informed them that
there were no signs of any living beings in the vicinity. "But I doubt we'll find any." The Captain finished, stepping over another body and heading for the next room.
There was silence for a moment, then the General spoke again.
"Keep looking, Rex. I'm coming down."
"Yes, Sir." Rex automatically responded when a small sound caught his attention. It was a tiny sound. Small enough that, had Rex not been focusing on every little
thing, he would have missed it. Raising one of his blasters, Rex signaled for a few of the Troops to follow him. They did without questioning, following after Rex
while the others continued onward. Silently, the small group of Clones made their way down the darkened hallway, never once letting their guard down. They found
the large door at the end of the hallway had been broken and was ready to fall over. Carefully slipping themselves through, they found themselves in the room next
to the Control Room. Upon entering the room, they could immediately tell some sort of battle had taken place here. There were many upturned and shattered boxes,
items of all sorts spilled cluttering the floor, and broken glass mingled with everything else.
Another minuscule sound emitted from nearby.
Rex glanced sharply to his right. There was a stack of boxes piled up against the wall, but there was a small space in between a few of the crates where the noise
had come from. A space, he noted, large enough to hide a person. For what he had been hearing, was the sound of someone struggling to breathe.
Signalling to the Clones with him, he gestured to the crates. The troopers immediately knew what the silent command he was giving and split into two groups. One
Clone went with Rex while the other three went in the opposite direction. They quietly approached the crates from both sides, pressing their backs against them.
Rex held up both his blasters and was just about to peer around the boxes when a low, pained, voice rang out.
"I know you're there."
They froze, the Clones whipping their heads in Rex's direction. Rex's expression mirrored his companions'. Surprise and confusion. The voice belonged to that of a
kid! What was a kid doing in a Clone base?
"You can...come out..." The kid wheezed, clearly injured. Deeming it safe enough, Rex slowly turned, entering the space. The dim light the base provided allowed him
to see a small form curled into the corner furthest from the light. He took a step closer to find that it was indeed a young kid, probably no older than twelve or so,
lying there, a dark brown robe over him. A Jedi Robe, Rex realized. But it was far too big for the kid, more like a blanket, and there were no Jedi stationed on this
planet...At least, to his knowledge. The kid, Rex also noticed, had sandy blonde hair and his complexion was very pale.
The kid was ill...
The kid shivered.
And cold, despite the heavy robe covering him. Intense blue eyes cracked open and fell onto the Captain, pinning him with a wary, and weary, gaze. The Captain
blinked. Those eyes...they reminded him of someone.
A wheeze returned Rex's attention to the kid. Kneeling down to the ground, Rex raised his hands and placed the blasters to the ground, showing the kid that he
meant no harm. Blue orbs watched him closely. Rex made sure not to move.
"What..." The kid began, his voice strained. Just speaking seemed to drain him from what little energy he had. The kid didn't appear to care, his eyes flickering
from Rex to the rest of the Clones, distrust evident in them. "Who...are you?"
Taking this as his cue to speak, Rex did. "I'm Clone Captain Rex." Rex slowly introduced himself, giving the four other Clones a pointed look. The Clones, catching the
meaning behind it, also knelt down and set their weapons on the ground. "That's Hawk, Oddball, Flash, and Whiz." Rex pointed to each of the Clones as he named
them off. The kid tilted his head, studying each of them. "We're members of the 501st." This caught his attention.
"501..st?"
"That's right, kid." Oddball nodded. The boy coughed then wheezed again, concerning Rex. He knew the child was injured, but would the kid trust them enough to
allow them to treat whatever wounds he had?
"Not...A kid..." He mumbled, earning an amused look from Oddball. "Clones...have names?"
Rex blinked. That wasn't a question he'd been expecting. When he noticed the kid was looking at him, Rex nodded. "We give ourselves names." He sat back, knowing
that they couldn't approach the kid until he felt safe with them. They would have to coax him out.
"You a Jedi?" Hawk asked, and the boy gave a start, whipping his head in his direction. Rex frowned when he saw the momentary fear flicker in those blue orbs before
they vanished.
"Y...Yes...I'm training...to be...one." He hesitantly answered, curling further into the robe, clutching the edge tightly. He looked to be debating something. Rex
narrowed his eyes. Was this kid going to try and escape? Why didn't he trust the Clones? Clones worked with the Jedi. Unless...
Rex glimpsed over his shoulder. They had found bodies of Clones in the base, but nothing else. Had the Clones attacked each other and the child witnessed it?
"Who's your master?" He asked, wondering if, perhaps, he might know the Jedi.
"Which one?" The kid asked. Rex's brow furrowed. How many Masters did the kid have? Or he might have been an initiate who hadn't yet been chosen to become a
Padawan and considered all of the Masters at the Temple his Masters.
"You do have a Master, right, kid?" Oddball carefully asked. The boy chewed on his lower lip.
"Did." He whispered, sadness dancing in the blue orbs. "They're dead now..."
There was an awkward silence as the Clones looked to one another.
"Sorry, kid. We didn't mean to bring it up." Whiz apologized, but the kid shook his head.
"Not...your...fault." He burrowed deeper into the robe, shivering violently, his breaths coming in short gasps. They had to do something.
"Were you injured?" Rex inquired, scooting closer. The boy warily eyed him, wondering if he was a friend or a foe. "We won't hurt you, Kid. We work with the Jedi,
remember?"
The boy's eyes widened a fraction before narrowing in suspicion, as if wondering if they were trying to trick him. "What day...is it?"
"The sixth day of the eleventh month, kiddo." Oddball answered.
"...Year?"
This concerned Rex even more. Could it be possible that the boy had lost some of his memory? Maybe that was why he didn't know about the Clones and the Jedi.
"21 BBY."
"WHAT!?" The boy hoarsely exclaimed, startling the Clones before he jerked forward, hacking harshly. The coughs shook his body, and they didn't sound good. The
boy had an infection. He needed medical attention soon before it worsened.
"Woah, Kid!" Rex leaned over and patted the boy's back. The boy tensed for a moment, looking up at Rex before deciding he didn't mean any harm and relaxed.
"Should we call for the General, Captain?" Whiz asked Rex, briefly looking at the kid. Rex nodded.
"Tell the General to bring a medical shuttle. This kid's going to need to be treated as soon as possible." Rex told him. Whiz nodded and walked a little further away,
com-link in hand.
"General..?" The kid repeated, chewing on his lower lip. Rex was confused. This kid didn't seem to know anything. Had he hit his head? Was he delirious? No...
"Kid, where are you hurt?" Rex decided to ask. The kid was silent for a moment, appearing momentarily confused himself. He was still eyeing each of the Clones.
"I dunno..."
"You don't know?"
"I can't...remember...I was falling..." The boy closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember what had happened to him. "Then...nothing...I think...I
blacked out..." He grimaced in pain once he finished, his throat parched. They had no water, Rex remembered. Had they brought any, it would have frozen because
of the cold weather. Whiz returned, com-link still in hand.
"I managed to tell him we needed a medical shuttle, but the transmission's cut off." He informed Rex, who nodded. It wasn't at all surprising. With the winter storm
raging outside, it would be hard to get the connection they needed to contact the Cruiser. At that moment, Rex's wrist-com started beeping. Pressing the button,
Rex answered.
"Clone Captain Rex, sir."
"Rex, is everything alright? Did you guys find anything?" The General's voice sounded. "I was told a medical shuttle was needed. Were you attacked?"
"No, General." Rex answered.
"Then, what's happened?"
"We found a kid, General."
"A kid?" The General incredulously repeated. "On this Force-forsaken planet?"
"Yes, sir."
"There's more to it, isn't there?" The General pressed, recognizing Rex's momentary pause. Rex normally paused whenever he had something to add.
"The kid's a Jedi, General."
"A Jedi? Is he a Padawan?"
"From what I understand, he was one. His Master's dead."
The boy flinched and Rex sent him an apologetic look, noticing how the boy was transfixed on the wrist-com, trying to figure out who this 'General' was.
"Who was his Master?"
At this, Rex looked to the kid for an answer. The kid frowned for a moment, debating whether or not to tell them. Finally, he gave a silent sigh.
"Ben." He softly said. "Master Ben."
"A Master Ben, he says."
"I don't recognize the name...I'll find out later. We're nearing the base, Rex. Gather your men and prepare to leave. I don't think we'll be finding any survivors other
than the kid."
"Copy that, sir." Rex curtly nodded and indicated for the Clones with them to spread the word while he took care of the kid. "Right, the General's coming, kid. He's
a Jedi and should be able to help you."
"Jedi?" This perked the boy up.
"Yeah. One of the best. Think you can stand?" Rex asked the boy.
"I...think...so..." The boy shifted, determined to brush his weakness aside and attempted to stand. He only managed to raise himself to his knees before pausing.
His arms quivered, his body trembling, sweat gleaning on his forehead as though he had just undergone some sort of difficult, physical exercise. Rex cautiously
extended his hand down towards the boy, knowing he was still wary. The boy contemplated the offer for a moment before hesitantly reaching up and taking it, Rex
carefully helping him to stand. He lifted the Jedi Robe and covered the boy with it, earning a surprised look and quiet thank-you before they started to leave. Rex
made sure to walk beside the kid, having released the boy in order not to startle him even further. They didn't get far before the boy came to an abrupt stop.
"Kid?" Rex paused, gazing down at the blonde. The boy pursed his lips, looking around the base before ominously saying,
"They're coming..."
"Who is?" Rex asked, following the boy's line of sight but seeing nothing.
"The beasts..." The boy whispered and Rex immediately whipped out his blasters, knowing it wasn't wise to doubt a Jedi's ability, despite their age.
"Are they what attacked the base?" He questioned, earning a nod. "Kid, I need you to back away. Stay out of sight."
"But..." The boy looked up at him, wanting to argue but Rex shook his head.
"You're too injured to do anything, kid."
The boy lowered his head, knowing the Clone Captain was correct and shuffled back a few steps until he vanished in the darkness. Rex raised his wrist-com,
contacting the others.
"We have incoming!" Was all he said, knowing the Clone would understand. Not even a second had passed after Rex had spoken when the ventilation shaft above him
burst and a beast, unlike any he had ever seen, came sailing towards him. The Clone's reflex had him roll out of harm's way as another creature followed the first.
They were thin, bony, black creatures with glowing violet eyes. Rows of sharp, jagged teeth, were revealed when the creatures stretched open their jaws and
bellowed in a threatening manner.
They were hideous, Rex thought to himself. They resembled malnourished pittens, only thirty times bigger, and a hundred times more uglier. And definitely not
friendly. He opened fire, his finger pulling the triggers of both blasters as he ducked and dodged every blow the creatures wildly threw. They hissed and spat,
gnashing their teeth together in irritation, violet eyes darkening with anger. Circling the Clone, the revolting beasts tried to decide the best way to take their prey
down. Rex watched their every move, trying to predict the next attack. He felt a trimmer of uncertainty and slight fear when he found that his blasters were
completely useless against them. There wasn't one mark on their sleek skin.
The sounds of the other Clones battling the other beasts could be heard nearby, and Rex hoped they would be alright. They only needed to stall these beasts until
the General came. The creatures may be insurmountable against blasters, but they stood no chance against a lightsaber. He only needed to distract them for a little
longer.
It wasn't long when they simultaneously lunged for him. Rex dove forward beneath them, sliding on the ground then rolling and leaping to his feet, firing one shot
after another. This only riled them up more. What else had he expected?
So far, he was holding his own. It wouldn't be too long before the General arrived.
And that was the moment disaster struck.
The beasts had split up in the hopes of cornering the lone Clone, one facing him, and one behind him. How he had allowed that to happen, Rex didn't know. He only
knew he didn't wish he had made that mistake. He couldn't cover both sides. He stood sideways, hoping to keep both in sigh, watching them in the corner of his eye.
The beasts prowled around him, a low growl rumbling in their long throats. Then they struck.
Rex had tried to dodge the first one that jumped at him, but he had momentarily forgotten about the second. That distraction would cost him, Rex would soon realize.
The first twisted mid-jump and caught hold of his shoulder, lifting the Clone and tossing him aside. The second whipped around, its heavy tail whacking the Clone's
back and sending him sailing into the wall.
Stunned, Rex dropped to the ground, his head spinning.
"Captain!" Oddball's voice exclaimed, and the sound of running feet seemed to thunder in Rex's head. But they wouldn't reach him in time. Rex managed to raise his
head in time to see the largest of the two beasts pounce. He prepared himself for what was to come, only to be shocked when an emerald green light cut through the
beast, killing it instantly. The heavy body thumped to the ground, lifeless. The Clones followed the emerald green light, which turned out to be a saber, as it spun
through the air and into its wielder's hand.
The Clones stared.
The saber belonged to the kid. He had thrown his saber the moment the creature had lunged and called it back to him. The boy was breathing heavily, having run
out of his hiding spot and placing himself in front of Rex, arms extended as he faced the monster that was left.
"Kid?" Rex breathed, still surprised. The boy clenched his teeth, gripping his saber tightly. He waited, the monster snapping its jaws at him. The kid then cast his
left hand to the side, raising one of the smaller crates in the pile against the wall and threw it at the beast. The fleeting moment of distraction would be the beast's
last, for when it averted its eyes to see what had hit it, the boy attacked. His saber wove through the air in a graceful arch, slashing diagonally and beheading it.
The landing was not as soft as it should have been, and the touchdown had sent him sprawling into the cold, unforgiving ground, where he remained, motionless.
"Kid!" Oddball was the first to react, rushing forward to check on him. Turning the boy over, he threw aside the Jedi Robe and gaped at what he saw. The boy had
been severely injured. There were gashes everywhere, his shirt torn to shreds, and cuts marking his arms. The boy coughed harshly, his body jerking until he fell
back, wheezing worse than before.
"Rex!" That was the moment the General had decided to appear. "What's going o..." He trailed off, blue orbs scanning and analyzing the room. Two monstrous bodies
lying dead on the floor, broken crates and glass littering the floor, the Clones cramming the room, and the brown bundle in Oddball's arms. "What happened?"
"General, the kid needs medical attention, now." Was all Rex said, forgetting to greet the General due to his concern. The General immediately hastened over to
where Oddball was and started when he saw the child. He knelt down and quickly recovered the boy with the Jedi robe before taking him into his arms. The boy
stifled a moan from being moved, opening his pain-filled eyes to see who was holding him.
"I'll take him." The General said, looking to Rex. "Call the men together. We're leaving."
"Yes, sir!" Rex saluted and did as he was told, watching as the General sprinted away with the boy cradled in his arms.
"Sure hope the kid'll be okay." He heard Hawk murmur, Flash and Whiz mumbling in agreement.
-CW-
There you have it! Third chapter done, the fourth one on the way!