Kanan smirked as he bested Rex at Dejarik again.
"I win." He said simply as he crossed his arms.
"Heh, looks like you can be disciplined after all." Rex responded, crossing his own arms with a smirk.
"Are you implying that you've taught me a lesson?" Kanan asked as he glared at the Clone. At that point, Ezra jumped down the ladder, looking panicked.
"Speaking of lack of discipline." Kanan mumbled as he got up to greet his apprentice.
"We need to talk." He said with crossed arms.
"Not now! Danny's hurt!" Ezra exclaimed as Sabine followed.
"We need to get to the Medical Bay, now!" She all but screamed, earning wide eyes from Hera, Rex and Kanan.
Everybody was pacing outside the Rebel Command Ship's med bay, worried for their friend. Suddenly, Ahsoka barged in, looking very worried.
"I felt a disturbance in the Force and rushed back." She explained quickly as she saw the Ghost crew's questioning looks.
"What happened?" She asked worriedly.
"Danny got hurt facing the 2 Inquisitors we found at the Republic Med Station." Sabine explained, earning wide eyes from the former Jedi. As she was about to ask how he was, the Medical droid came out of the Bay.
"How is he?" Ahsoka asked quickly.
"The patient will be fine; his body heals at an incredible rate. He is in a small coma, but I calculate he will wake in an estimated 2 days." The droid explained. Everybody a massive sigh in relief at the news, but it was short lived as the droid spoke again.
"There is call for concern though." The droid said as he held up a holo-generator.
"What?" Everbody asked worriedly, again. The droid activated the projector, showing an image of Danny's almost naked body, a pair of boxers being the garments that covered him.
"The patient seems to have taken a lot of abuse in his life." The droid said and pressed a button. Red lines appeared on the image of Danny's body, practically covering it.
"These lines show scar tissue on the surface area of his body." The droid explained, earning gasps of horror.
"Karabast! What has this kid been through?!" Zeb yelled at the droid.
"It appears that he has seen many a battle in his short life, every single one of these scars pointing towards the past 4 years." The droid answered. Everybody gasped again.
"50% of the patient's body is covered in scar tissue." The droid added.
"From?" Sabine asked in a squeak, which was very unlike her.
"A variety of things: burns, cuts, stabs, bites, claws, blades, live ammunition, energy ammunition, strangulation, and lightsabers, to name a few." The droid listed. Everybody was staring at the image with horror and terror on their faces. All of that in 4 years? And that's not even all?
"That however, is not the most disturbing part." The droid spoke up after a moment of silence.
"What could possibly be worse than all that?!" Ezra almost yelled.
"I ask that you point your attention to this large scar on his chest, trailing down his stomach." The droid said, removing all the red lines on the image except one MASSIVE Y-shaped scar. Everybody paled.
"Is that…?" Sabine trailed off in terror.
"It appears as if the patient has been restrained and dissected in the past." The droid said.
"DISSECTED?!" Hera screamed.
"Indeed, multiple times I would wager. His organs show signs of having been removed and put back." The droid answered. Everybody was at a loss for words; Ezra even fainted, not that anyone could blame him. In fact, they were all surprised they were still standing!
"I have debriefed you on the patient's condition. For now, I must return to him." The droid said as it returned into the medical bay, while another pair of medical droids took Ezra into the medical bay.
"Karabast… dissected." Zeb whispered in horror as they all took a seat, their knees trembling at what they had just learnt.
"Ahsoka, did you know about this?" Kanan asked her. Ahsoka just sat there with horror-struck eyes and shook her head.
"No…" She whispered.
"Danny made sure that I never saw him shirtless… I didn't think much of it… until now." She said as tears welled up in her eyes. She wasn't alone; Sabine and Hera also had tears streaming down their faces, and Zeb, Rex, and Kanan were fighting their own. Usually, most of these people never cry, especially not in front of someone else, but this was too much for even them to handle.
"Who would do this?" Hera sobbed as Kanan held her close.
"Danny once told me his parents shot at him, simply for being what he was…" Kanan mentioned.
"Kanan, you don't think…?" Sabine said as she looked at him with wide eyes.
"I don't know for certain, but it stands to reason his parents were responsible… At least, somewhat." Kanan answered.
That was it, Hera started full on crying into Kanan's shoulder, Ahsoka fell back in shock, and Sabine ran to her room and cried into her pillow. Rex went over to comfort Ahsoka, while Zeb went to his own room to sleep his shock off, not that he thought he would sleep. One didn't have to be Force-sensitive to feel the aura of rage, sadness, fear, and full blown depression that haunted the room. Rage at what their friend had been though, sadness for the pain he must have felt, fear for his mental health, and depression of the memories that must haunt him. They all took a silent oath to never let that happen to Danny again, and to cut down anyone who tried. Even the Jedi, Kanan, swore that he would kill the people who did this to Danny, should he meet them.
"Ugh… Anybody get the number of the shuttle that hit me?" Danny mumbled as he got up with a groan. Suddenly, he was hit with a burst of pain all over his body. He hissed in pain as he carefully laid himself back. He slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. His eyes widened as he saw the environment.
"White…" He muttered and started to tremble in fear.
"No… not again!" He exclaimed and ripped off the electrodes that were attached to him. Why he wasn't strapped down, he had no idea.
"Danny!" a voice exclaimed. Danny turned his head quickly in panic, only to see Hera, running over to him with an immensely worried look.
"H-Hera?" Danny asked in fear and confusion.
"It's OK Danny, it's OK. You're safe." Hera said soothingly as she held him close. Danny calmed down, though not completely. He noticed he was shirtless, all of his scars in full view. He sighed inwardly; the conversation he had hoped would never happen was imminent.
"Hera, I'm OK now." Danny told the Twi'lek, who reluctantly let him go.
"I'm sorry; I thought I was… back there." Danny said, placing a hand over his Y-shaped scar. Hera looked at him with teary yet stern eyes.
"Danny, I know you don't want to talk about it, but we're going to have a serious chat once you're hydrated and fed, OK?" Hera asked him sadly yet sternly. Danny sighed and nodded at her. Hera smiled slightly at him and gave him a comforting kiss on his forehead.
"It'll be OK." She assured.
"Sabine is on her way with some food and water now." She told him. He sighed and nodded in understanding, knowing he wouldn't be getting out of this. Hera left him to his thoughts and a few minutes later, Sabine entered, carrying a tray of food.
"Hey." She greeted with a small, sad smile.
"Hey." Danny greeted back emotionlessly, earning a slight frown from Sabine, though she didn't press it; she understood. She walked over to him and placed the tray in front of him while he sat on the Med bay bed.
"Thank you." Danny told her in monotone.
"You're welcome." She replied sadly as she saw the look on Danny's face. How could one person go through so much pain? She could tell he was hiding so much pain behind that emotionless expression.
"How long was I out?" He asked her.
"3 days. The med droid said it would be 2, but it just took a bit longer." Sabine answered. Danny nodded emotionlessly as he took a bite of the food given to him.
"How are you feeling?" Sabine asked, trying to break the silence.
"A little sore and lightheaded, but nothing I can't handle." Danny responded as he ate.
"Hey Danny… I wanted to say thanks." Sabine spoke up.
"For?" Danny asked as he took a large swig of water.
"Well, you got my helmet back for me, for one thing. I really love that thing." She answered. Danny smiled at her gently.
"Don't worry about it." He said.
"And you saved Zeb, Ezra and I. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there." Sabine added in gratitude.
"Like I said: no worries. I just did what any decent person would do. I'm certain you would have done the same for me." Danny told her with a smile as he set the now empty tray aside and swung his legs to hang off the bed. He was still in nothing but his boxers, and Sabine blushed heavily when she took in his extremely muscular chest.
"Something wrong?" Danny asked when Sabine turned around.
"Uh no… It's just… You're still naked… mostly…" Sabine mumbled, her face red as an apple. Danny himself finally noticed his nakedness and blushed just as heavily as Sabine.
"Sorry." He said as he got up and slipped his clothes on, minus the armour paddings.
"Better?" Danny asked her as she turned back around. He was now only wearing his tunic and pants.
"Much." Sabine said with a grateful smile, though internally she was pouting with disappointment, thinking the opposite of what she was saying.
"I guess everyone wants to talk now, don't they?" Danny asked. Sabine nodded and Danny sighed as he slipped his boots on.
"May as well get it over with." He said as the 2 teens left the Med bay.
"So, what do you guys wanna know?" Danny asked as he and Sabine walked into the Ghost's living room, finding the rest of the Ghost crew and Ahsoka waiting for them.
"Danny!" Ahsoka exclaimed in relief and ran over him. She engulfed him in a tight hug, as if she was worried he would get hurt if she let go.
"Ahsoka, I'm fine, I promise." Danny assured her as he pulled her arms off of him. The hug kind of reminded him of Jazz whenever he came home with an injury.
"I'm sorry for worrying all of you." Danny told them as they all sat down. Seeing no room for him to sit, he started hovering with his legs crossed.
"Uh kid, isn't that uncomfortable?" Zeb asked, a little freaked out. Danny shook his head.
"Not in the slightest. It's more comfortable than any chair in all honesty." Danny answered. Zeb nodded in understanding, still looking a bit unnerved, and he wasn't alone.
"So, what do you want to know?" Danny asked calmly.
"Why didn't you tell us about your scars?" Hera asked with narrowed eyes, earning a sigh from Danny.
"So that this conversation doesn't happen." He answered.
"Why didn't you tell me at least? When we first met?" Ahsoka asked him.
"I don't like remembering what some of these scars mean." Danny said, looking away in pain as he placed his hand on his chest.
"I understand Danny, but some things shouldn't be kept secret." Ahsoka told him sternly. Danny sighed and nodded.
Suddenly, Hera brought out a holo-projector and activated it, showing the image of a nearly naked Danny, with red lines on his chest from a Y shape. Danny paled when he saw the image.
"What is that Danny?" Hera asked sternly.
"…" Danny didn't say a word.
"Danny, we need you to tell us, what is that? And how did you get it?" Kanan asked, more gently than Hera, but no less stern.
"It… Its…" Danny mumbled, trembling at the memory.
"Danny, take a moment to calm down." Ahsoka soothed her apprentice. Danny nodded and took a deep breath.
"It's a vivisection scar." Danny said after a moment of silence, earning wide eyes from everyone.
"Vivisection?" Ezra whispered.
"I was dissected, while fully awake and aware of it." Danny informed, earning horrified gasps. Everyone had their hands covering their wide open mouths.
"W-wh-why?!" Hera practically screamed. Danny sighed heavily again.
"Let me start from the beginning." Danny said. Everyone nodded shakily.
"It started when I was 14. I had a time travel accident and saw my future, 10 years from that day." Danny started.
"Time travel?" Kanan asked with wide eyes. Danny nodded.
"My guardian, Clockwork, is the Master of Time. He has complete control over time itself." Danny explained, earning more wide eyes.
"Anyway, in my future, I was the most evil being to exist. I practically destroyed almost the entire world, save for a single town. Once my future self saw me, he trapped me in the future and went back in time himself to solidify the future, in which I become him." Danny continued.
"I managed to get back and defeat him, just narrowly saving everyone I care about, with the help of Clockwork, and trapping him. But, a year later, he escaped and finished what he started, mostly." Danny said, feeling a tug at his heart.
"Mostly?" Ahsoka asked, fearing the answer. Danny sighed again.
"My parents were not in my house when it was destroyed. My sister, best friend, lover, and daughter were." Danny said, tears pouring out of his eyes. Everyone gasped at the mention of a daughter.
"My daughter survived, but has been in a coma ever since. My parents, they blamed me for what happened and handed me to an organisation called the Guys in White, or GIW, and they experimented on me for 10 months before I escaped and Clockwork found me." Danny finished the story.
"Wait, you once said Clockwork knows everything, why would he leave you there?" Sabine asked shakily. Danny shook his head.
"Clockwork is forbidden to interfere with the timeline, saving me would have damaged the timeline more, since he went against that rule once before, when he helped me save my family from my future self." Danny explained. They all looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
"Plus, Clockwork can't see my future anymore. When my 2 halves merged together, I got a massive boost in power, letting me out of his viewing powers." Danny added.
"Merged?" Zeb asked confusedly.
"My 2 halves, human and ghost, used to be separate. But, the day before I escaped from them, something that the GIW did to me caused a massive flow of my ecto-energy in my body to flow back and forth through the 2 halves. Eventually, the flow tied my 2 halves together like a needle and thread." Danny explained, shuddering at the memory.
"It was more painful than the vivisections, I'll tell you that." Danny said with shiver.
"Danny, I hate to ask this, but what did they do to you?" Ahsoka asked sadly. Danny placed his hand on his chest as he felt the emotional pain of the memories.
"Electrocutions, vivisections, amputations,-"
"AMMPUTATIONS!?" Hera screamed, startling the pained Halfling, who nodded once he got his thoughts back together.
"Yeah. My healing factor allows me to regenerate lost limbs." Danny explained.
"When my arms or legs got too many scars for them to experiment on, they would saw them off and wait for them regenerate before continuing." He added as he rubbed his sore ears.
"So, will you die from being decapitated?" Ezra asked. Danny shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. My limbs and organs grow back when being removed, but the GIW never tried decapitating me; they weren't sure if I would die or not." He explained.
"The droid said you're organs had been removed and replaced." Rex mentioned. Danny shook his head.
"They were removed, but anything that separates from my body dissolves into ectoplasmic vapour and reforms." Danny responded. Everybody's jaws were hitting the ground.
"You really can survive anything, can't you kid?" Zeb asked, extremely bewildered. Danny shook his head.
"I cannot. There are things out there that can kill me. It's just that most typical methods are not among them." Danny answered.
"You poor thing, I'm so sorry." Hera said with sobs as she ran over to Danny and engulfed him a motherly hug, making Danny sigh.
"Hera, not that I don't appreciate you going all motherly, but my last mother figure dissected me, I'm not keen on a new one." Danny joked, trying to lighten to lighten the mood. It mostly worked; some of the Ghost crew chuckled slightly, but Hera ignored him and tightened her hold on him.
"Hera, I'm fine, I promise." Danny assured her. Hera paid no mind and just held on.
"Danny, with what you've told us, she's not letting you go anytime soon." Sabine quipped with a slight grin as she wiped her tears away.
Finally, Hera let Danny go.
"You are staying on the Ghost, and I want you with someone at all times." She said sternly, earning a facepalm from Danny.
"Really? I just told you I'm fine!" Danny protested as he wiped his hand down his face.
"I don't care. Sabine, you have first shift. If he tries to leave the ship, stun him." Hera ordered, earning a groan from Danny and laughs from the rest of the crew.
"Got it." Sabine said with a wide grin as she did western style gun twirl.
"Brilliant." Danny muttered.
"This is your own fault; you did get yourself pretty banged up." Ezra said to Danny as he wiped his tears of laughter away, well mostly laughter anyway.
"You get beat up by one Inquisitor…" Danny mumbled with a roll of his eyes.
"So, why don't you tell me about your daughter, how did you become a father at 15 or so?" Sabine asked as she and Danny sat at the Dejarik board while the others went back to their duties. Danny sighed.
"This going to be fun." He thought sarcastically with a frown.