"He's under probation, Lurk," Prime said, "he's not getting off unpunished."
"No, they're just going to keep an eye on him while he does whatever he wants, while I'm stuck in a bacta tank for a week!"
"It's not a week, and it's not a tank. It's not as bad as you make it sound."
Lurk narrowed his eyes. "Have they seen me?"
"Who?"
"The Kaminoans. Have they seen what he did to me, or did they just make their decision based on data? If they saw what he did, do you think they would be letting him go unpunished? Look at me, Prime, and think about it."
Prime winced. Lurk's cuts were deep. They were a bright flaming red with ugly scabs formed over them. One scratch down his cheek was showing signs of infection. His right eye was swolen shut. There would definitely be scars, no matter how much bacta was applied.
"Lurk, I'm sure he didn't mean--"
"You're defending him?" Lurk asked angrily. "You were there, sir, you saw him. Do you really think he didn't mean it?"
Prime sighed and shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened. I really am. But I wasn't going to let Slicer be killed, no matter what he did to you. And if I recall correctly, it wasn't unprovoked."
"Well he--"
"Lurk, stop making excuses!" Prime exploded. "Yes, Slicer was wrong, but I'm not going to let him be killed for one mistake. Now, as soon as you're cleared to leave, I expect you to to see him and apologize."
"Why am I--"
"He's going to apologize, too. You both owe each other one."
Prime turned on his heel and left the room.
"Yeah, I owe him, alright," Lurk grumbled.
---
Slicer pulled his shirt back on over his head, picked up a towel off the rack and dried off his hair. A good hot shower had been just what he needed. He used the towel to dry off the mirror and checked his face for beard stubble. He picked up his shaver and ran it over his face a few times, thinking about how funny it was to be shaving at ten years old. He rinsed off the razor, then looked up to check the mirror once again. Then suddenly the events of the day played back in his head. He took in a shaky breath, as the realization of how close he had come to death finally hit him. Slicer squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head. He backed up a few steps and slid down the wall, curling into a ball and sobbing.
Stealth poked his head into the 'fresher. When he saw Slicer huddled against the wall, he calmly walked over and sat down next to him, not saying anything. He just sat there for a few minutes while Slicer cried.
"You'll be alright, ner vod," Stealth said.
Slicer shook his head. "I can't do this, Stealth. I can't have the kriffing Kaminoans watching me, waiting for the slightest mistake! I'm afraid I'm going to trip during a sim, or spit in the wrong direction, and they'll put me right back on death row!"
Stealth put his hand on Slicer's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Don't worry, they're too busy counting credits to study you too much. Trust me on this."
Slicer gave Stealth a confused look.
Stealth sighed. He pinched his brown hair between his fingers. "There was an error in the genetic code of one small batch of clones. There was nothing wrong with our personalities or anything, we just wound up with brown hair instead of black. The Kaminoans demand perfection though, and most of us were reconditioned before Sergeant Kal showed up and threatened the technicians with a vibroblade. That's how I knew he'd help you."
Slicer gave Stealth an unconvincing smile. "I always wondered about the hair."
"You'll be alright, buddy," Stealth said. "You know me and Prime won't let anything happen to you."
"So... you don't blame me for what I did in the fight?"
Stealth took a deep breath, pausing to try to gather his words. "Yes, I do. That was a stupid thing you did, ner vod, but let's not talk about that. You've been through enough today."
"Did you hear about how Lurk is doing?"
"Well, Prime wants you to go see him soon--"
"What?" Slicer exclaimed. "I don't want to see him! He'll kill me as soon as I walk in that room!"
Stealth shrugged and stood up to leave, pausing before he got to the door. "Should have thought of that before, then."