Chapter Three: Underestimation
1079 days ABG
Orea was in dust-ridden chaos. After setting down the Wayfarer and exiting the ship with his squad, Milo could see that the Republic forces were scrambling to clean up after what looked to be a devastating attack on their base of operations: clone bodies littered the dry, reddish soil even as their comrades tried to move them; the temporary structures that had been erected to provide cover against the biting heat were trampled to the dirt; and he could smell the sharp discharge of tibanna still fresh in the air.
"This is crazy," Crest murmured over their secure comm channel. "Looks like they were completely surprised." Those who were left alive were fully engrossed in the clean-up; to an outsider it would have looked jumbled and chaotic, but the clones could make out the organization within their brothers' movements.
Milo shook his head. "They shouldn't have been. A soldier never drops his guard, even at camp." He looked around, feeling sorrow all the same at the sight of his fallen brothers. "So it must have been pretty bad, whatever it was." Traxis nodded in agreement; though he was silent, Milo noted that his hand tightened on the blasters at his hips. Weave said nothing as he trailed behind.
Ahead of them, Kalinda and the captain hurried towards the center of the mill of clones, in the direction of a copper-haired woman in traditional Jedi garb, who was shouting orders to her soldiers. She was facing away from them, but at some unseen signal she turned and her eyes fell on the newcomers and she jogged to the squad, her gait smooth over the flat terrain.
"Master Halcyon," she said with a bow to the dark-haired Jedi. "Thank you for coming so quickly." She squinted in the fading light as the sun drifted to the horizon at their backs. Thankful for his helmet, Milo stared at her. From what he could tell, the new Jedi appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with bright red hair that gleamed like fire in the sunlight, and her eyes were a pale blue. He couldn't help but note the smattering of faint spots that crossed the bridge of her nose and cheeks.
Abruptly, he shook his head to clear it. No distractions. I need to keep my mind on the task at hand.
Ignoring the bow, Kalinda embraced the younger woman. "Honi. Are you okay?" When she pulled back she studied the other Jedi, who looked frustrated for a moment.
"I'm fine. That's the problem...I wasn't here." She nodded to the disheveled camp. "They took her...just swept in and took Zara. The men had no time to do anything about it." Her words were neutral, but Milo thought he could make out sorrow in her tone, particularly when her hand fell to one of the two lightsaber hilts that were clipped to her belt.
"We're here to help," Kalinda replied. "Do you have any idea where they've taken her? Or who's taken her, for that matter?"
General Tallis' eyes lit up and she nodded. "Save for an assortment of droids I don't know who took her, but Captain Dodge was able to report that he had the foresight to give her a tracking chip. I'm not sure if it's been disabled yet, as our scanners are, well..." She frowned and glanced around the camp at the clone troopers. "Not working at the moment. But I can use the ones on your transport."
With this, she made to head for the Wayfarer, but Kalinda put a hand on her arm. "I'd like to talk to Captain Dodge and any others who may have seen something. Where is he?"
The red-haired Jedi shook her head, her hand lifting in an almost dismissive mission even as her words came out in a rush. "He fell after alerting me to the attack. So did the rest. The only ones who are alive are those who were with me at the village."
Kalinda stilled and Milo watched her head swivel around the camp again; he noted that there did seem to be an awful lot of clones laying in the dust. "They all...were killed? By whom?"
General Tallis took a breath. "Master...we have no time for this. They died trying to protect my Padawan. We have to hurry if we want to find her." She made to step to the ship once more, her robes rippling behind her.
"Milo, Weave: will you please go with Honi and see if you can't get a lock on that chip? It looks like it's our only lead. We'll ask around here: someone must have seen something." Kalinda's voice was speculative, but he thought he could detect a note of grief.
"Certainly, Kalinda." Milo squared his shoulders and nodded; Weave was silent. The red-haired Jedi spared them a brief look as she continued jogging to their transport, crossing the dirt with remarkable speed such that the clones were hard-pressed to keep up with her. Once she reached the ramp she strode aboard the Wayfarer without hesitation, moving to the helm and taking a seat in front of the instrument panel.
"Making herself at home, isn't she?" Weave said over their comms. He cleared his throat and switched to the exterior mic. "General Tallis: I have everything calibrated to a specific-"
The Jedi shook her head; Milo noticed that her hair had been pinned up but was starting to fall around her face. "I see that, but I prefer a different method. It's better for long-range scans like this." She began tweaking the panel, concentration written across her features.
Milo shot a look at Weave, whose hands were clenching. He hates it when we mess with this stuff, but she's in charge. He shook his head. "As you say, General Tallis."
But Weave was clearly irritated as he stepped over to her. "Sir, if you'd just allow me to..."
"No need." She glanced at him, an eyebrow lifted. "I know that Master Halcyon asked you to accompany me, but I'm more than able to search for the signal on my own. Why don't you stand guard or something?" Her tone was brusque; the moment she finished speaking she bent over the instrument panel again, though Milo noted that her hands were shaking and her movements were jerky and disjointed.
"Come on, vod," he said, touching Weave's arm. "Let's leave her to it."
At first he thought that Weave would argue, but his brother only sighed, shaking his head as they held their places. "Fine. But I want to keep close by in case she messes something up."
I wish I could do more to help her, but something tells me she doesn't need – or want – my help. Milo looked at the red-haired Jedi, whose face was a study in determination. "Okay," he said, shaking the thought away. "But I think it'll be fine."
Weave gave a snort of disbelief. "If you say so."
When Zara awoke, she had no clue where she had been brought, but she did know that she was not alone; after taking a few minutes to collect herself, she realized that she could sense the presence of others nearby. It was still black as pitch, but she could smell them if she was still. There was fear; not new, but renewed, which held an acrid edge that made her blink with its strength. If she listened carefully she could hear breathing: quiet and careful and close.
"Hello?" The word sounded small in the darkness.
There was a pause before a somewhat familiar voice replied. "Who are you?"
"My name is Zara," she said. "I'm a Padawan Learner. Who are you?"
"A Jedi?" It was another voice, identical but for its location, perhaps a meter to the right of the first speaker. He sounded young, like her, she supposed, but also familiar. She frowned in thought even as the speaker continued. "Hey, did you hear that? A Jedi!" There were murmurs and whispers that elicited from this, and she realized that there were at least three or four others nearby, all of them sharing the same voice.
Clones. She blinked again. They're clone voices. But...younger? "How many of you are there?"
The first speaker replied. "There were eight, plus Sergeant Motor...but we're all that's left." He emanated fear, though she could hear in his tone that he was trying to keep the fear at bay. She thought that he sounded like how she felt.
"Not all of our brothers survived the stasis pods...we're all that's left. Well, us and Levy. But he took Levy last week," another one said, his voice narrow with anger and anxiety. "We don't know where he is."
A third boy spoke. "You're really a Jedi? Can you free us?"
"I'm only a Padawan, but my Master will be looking for me," she replied with a swallow. "How long have you all been here?"
The second one replied. "Months and months. We were taken from our ship and placed in stasis pods, until they stopped working. Then we were brought here."
"Kriffing aiwha-bait..." A new boy growled, though he was shushed by another. "And no one's even tried to find us."
"We don't know that, and besides, that kind of talk isn't helpful." It was the first. "Commander Zara...if there's anything you can do to help us..."
Zara felt a thrill of fear and took a breath and tried to steady herself. "It's okay," she said, trying to picture a younger version of Captain Dodge in her mind's eye. "It'll be okay." I don't know how, but I have to believe. She squinted in the darkness. "What are your names?"
There was an uneasy silence before the first one spoke. "I don't have one, sir, but my number is CC-6014. The others do, though."
A chorus of identical voices followed his, calling out names and numbers that she tried to remember.
"CT-34-9905: Keo, Commander Zara, sir."
"Sir, I'm CT-33-5491, but you can call me Risky, Commander." It was the boy who had spoken of the Kaminoan.
"CT-34-3754, sir. Go by Finn, if you don't mind, Commander."
It took her several moments to process the new information, and she wondered at the first boy, the nameless one. "Pleased to meet all of you," she said at last, unsure of the proper procedure in this instant.
"We would salute, sir, but for the fact that we can't see you." It was No-Name. She smiled, despite her fear and a few of the others chuckled. The tension that had been in the rooms had lifted briefly and she could taste some of their relief in the air. "Sir. Any ideas on how we can get out of here?" His voice was still hopeful.
They think I can help them, she realized with a gripping certainty. They're trained to look up to Jedi of all kinds, even Padawans. They don't understand that I'm just as helpless as they are. As she opened her mouth to say all of this, No-Name spoke again.
"Never mind, Commander. We figure that if no one's come for us by now, we're lost causes. But there must be a way to get you out of here." His tone was earnest and she could practically see the others nodding in agreement. There was still fear in the air but it was growing dimmer, laced with a renewed determination that suddenly made her feel very inadequate.
Zara took a breath and tried to ignore the pulsing dread in her own mind. "It seems like we're all in this together. We have to be strong if we're going to survive." She was not sure where the words had come from, but saying them made her feel more like a proper Jedi, and she took another breath to gather her courage. I have to be strong...somehow.
At first Kalinda was loathe to admit it, but Honi had been correct. None of the clones that they spoke to had been present at the time of the kidnapping; whomever had taken young Zara had decimated the camp and killed any witnesses. However, only after she'd questioned at least half a dozen of the soldiers did she allow herself to feel a twinge of hopelessness. She watched the clones pick up after their brothers with grim efficiency and felt her stomach turning in a way that reminded her all-too-much of her first "real" battle many months ago, on the planet of Caradoc.
It isn't right. They don't deserve this fate. They're living beings...not flesh-droids. She took a breath and felt Stonewall's hand on her shoulder.
"We will find her," he said. "If any one can do it, you can-" He paused and tilted his head; she realized that he was receiving a message on their comm channel, and remembered that she'd worn the earpiece that Weave had made. A flick of her thumb activated the device so she could hear the conversation.
"...Tallis picked up a signal. It's weak, but present. Looks like they didn't search her, unless they found the chip and got rid of it." Weave sounded irritated about something, but she couldn't place her finger on what.
Stone glanced at her before making his reply. "Where?"
There was a pause; Kali could hear Honi's voice in the background and a moment later Milo answered. "A planet in the Inner-Rim, from the looks of it. Ever heard of Sethos?"
"Can't say I have," Stonewall said.
Kalinda frowned in thought, but she was drawing a blank as well. "How far is it from our location?"
There was a muffle, and she thought that she heard Weave make a protest, then Honi's voice sounded. "Master. We found her. Sethos isn't that far from here...only about twenty hours, provided your ship can make it." Her tone was dubious.
"The ship will be fine," Kali replied, glancing around at the soldiers again. "But I think you should remain here with your men; they're your responsibility and they need your help. We can find Zara."
She could picture the younger woman's frown in her mind's eye. "Master Halcyon...Zara is my responsibility too. She was taken practically from right under my nose. I have to do something."
"Very well." I don't blame her. I think I would be much the same way.
She felt a flash of amusement as her former Padawan made a noise of disbelief, though it faded in light of Honi's next words. "Do you want me to contact the Council, or would you like to?"
At this, Kali winced. Neither. Following her last encounter with the group of Jedi, where she questioned them point-blank about the Order's use of the clones in the war, she had not spoken to anyone on the Council lately – save Obi-Wan – and was not eager to change that. But I should let them know...too bad Obi-Wan's in the Outer Rim. It would be good to talk to him again. She sighed. "Make sure that your men are being taken care of and I'll call the Temple."
"As you wish." There as a pause, then Honi's voice became distant, as if she had turned away from the comlink. "Begin prepping the ship."
"Kalinda?" It was Milo. She almost smiled at the confusion in his voice.
Kali shook her head. "Go ahead, Mi. Honi, it's nice to know that some things haven't changed too much, at least." She signed off and glanced around the camp, noting the battle-weary appearance of the clone troopers as they continued to care for their fallen comrades.
The sky was fading to a pale lavender, further contrasting with the reddish dirt beneath her armored boots and the air was too warm. She looked at Stone and the others, who'd remained at her side. "Will you help Honi with her men? Make sure that they have everything they need; I'll head back to the ship and send that transmission to the Temple. Once all that's done, we'll leave."
Stone nodded. She could feel a question in his thoughts, so she met his gaze. Hard to believe she was my Padawan, isn't it?
She's a little...brusque. More so than I imagined a student of yours would be. His reply was tinted with wryness and Kali sighed.
That's Honi. She's good at what she does, but her interpersonal skills leave a bit to be desired. Well, a lot to be desired. Don't worry, I'm going to sort her out.
As if deciding he wanted no part of that, Stone made no further comment and instead nodded to the camp. "We'll take care of the lads here. How long do you think?"
Kali shook her head. "Not long at all." She made her way back to the Wayfarer, meeting the red-haired Jedi in the middle.
"Master, your men are insubordinate," Honi remarked. "The one named Weave tried to argue with me about my adjustments to the helm." She shook her head and stepped away, but Kali caught her arm.
"You need to keep your calm," she said, pitching her voice low. Honi opened her mouth to object but Kalinda found that she had little patience at the moment. "And you will keep in mind that this is an incredibly talented group of men that I've been working with for nearly two years. I understand that you're anxious about your Padawan, but you will not treat them like commodities that can be used and then tossed aside. Everyone who travels with me is an equal. Is that clear?" She held her former apprentice's pale gaze.
After a moment, Honi nodded, her cheeks flushing. "I'm sorry, Master...I just...she's my first Padawan, and I..."
Kali took a breath and squeezed the other woman's shoulder. "I know. It's okay...we'll find her, Honi. Just try to act a little more..."
"Like a proper Jedi and not a raving lunatic?" When Honi smiled, she looked very much like the young woman that Kalinda had met many years ago.
Kali returned the look. "Something like that. And for goodness' sake, call me Kalinda." After a moment she sighed. "I may as well tell you now that these men are very important to me. I really need you to understand that."
"I've heard...rumblings," Honi said after a moment, regarding her with a sharp gaze, no doubt taking in the modified clone armor that Weave had made. "Are they true?"
Of course that rumor comes up again. You'd think that people would have other things to talk about besides me and Stonewall. Kali bit back her sigh. "We'll discuss all that later." She paused at Honi's expression, which indicated nothing less than complete shock. "Wait...are what true?"
"That you and the men in your squad are involved in a..." Again, the younger woman's cheeks grew pink and Kali felt a flash of indignation and no small amount of embarrassment.
"The entire squad? That's completely..." She grimaced and rubbed her forehead. "It's not true, Honi, but I would hope that you know me better than that. Now go see to your troops." She watched the red-haired Jedi hurry back to the camp for a moment before she made her way to the ship.
Stonewall watched Kalinda hurry towards the Wayfarer for a moment before glancing at Crest and Traxis, who'd remained at his side. "I want you to make sure that all of the wounded are being taken care of. From there, see if they need any other supplies...we don't have much extra, but we do have a few things we can spare."
"Sure thing, Cap," Crest replied with an easy salute, though Stone could tell that he was distressed by the sight of so many dead and wounded brothers.
I don't blame him. It's not a sight that you can get used to, but I wonder if we've become less used to it than most. Since he'd taken to running around the galaxy with Kali and the rest of Shadow Squad, he'd been involved in almost no large-scale battles; even small skirmishes such as this were unheard of in the infiltrations and similar assignments they'd been given.
As if echoing his thoughts, Traxis looked around. "So many dead...for what? They got the little Jedi kid anyway."
Crest inhaled and exhaled. "I know what you mean. It feels so..." He shook his head and nodded to the nearest medic. "Never mind. Let's just go." They hurried away to help where they could.
Even as he watched his men move off, Stonewall felt General Tallis' approaching presence in the Force; frustrated and worried, despite the fact that she was trying to rein her emotions back. He also detected a note of embarrassment from her as she reached his position. Not sure I want to know what that's about, though if I know Kali she made good on her word. He lifted his hand in a salute. "General. It's not good, but I think your men have everything under control. Do you know of any supplies that you might need?"
She looked at him and for a moment he could sense that she was feeling him out through the Force. Finally she looked at his helmet, where his eyes were. "Thank you, Captain...?"
"Stonewall, sir."
She nodded and squinted around him in the setting sun. "Right. Well...it seems we have a bit of work to do if we're going to get off of this rock anytime soon." Her voice sounded smaller than before but he acted as if he didn't notice.
"Then let's get to it, General."
Milo and Weave had already set up the transmitter so that the moment that Kalinda stepped aboard the Wayfarer she would be able to call the Temple. She looked flustered, which, Milo thought, was not unusual given the circumstances, but he knew that something was bothering the Jedi. I know she's had a lot on her mind, what with the captain learning to use the Force, the flood of missions we've been getting, and being worried about those cadets. For a moment he felt a stab of guilt, as he knew that he was potentially going to add to her stress-level, and he nearly said something to her then and there.
However, she slid into the co-pilot's seat – the easiest place to send a transmission – and entered the code that would route their signal to the Core. "Everything okay?" he asked as he noted that her hands were shaking.
She looked up and met his eyes. "Not really."
Fierfek. "Anything I can help with?"
She smiled at him. "No. But thank you, Mi." As she reached for the button that would open the channel, she paused and glanced at Weave. "About Honi: I know she'll calm down...she's just worried about Zara. I'm sorry if she was a bit..."
But it was Milo who shook his head. "It's fine, Kalinda. She's got every right to be agitated."
"Not on my helm, she doesn't," Weave muttered, running his hands over the console. "Do you know how long it took me to calibrate this thing?"
Kalinda gave him a small smile before she looked at the holotransmitter, pausing again as if to consider something. Finally she shook her head, more to herself than anything else, and activated the device. While they waited for the transmission to begin, Milo cast her a surreptitious look, getting the sense that she was measuring her future words against their potential repercussions. I don't envy her dealing with the Council. The burden of command isn't always a pleasant one...I only hope I'll be ready when my time comes.
When the flickering images of Mace Windu and Yoda appeared, Kalinda cleared her throat before either of them could speak. "Masters: we think we have a location for Zara. If all goes well, we should be able to track her down within a day or so."
General Windu nodded, his hands clasped before him. "That's good to hear."
"As I think that her connection with Zara may help in the search, Honi's going to accompany us," she added. "Things here have quieted down, but I believe that the soldiers might still be needed for relief efforts. You may want to send some reinforcements, just in case. "
Again, the Korun Jedi Master nodded. "Very well." There was a pause while he studied her. "Perhaps it can be the same division that has been dispatched to pick up Ambassador Kerr."
Right. Kalinda met his gaze without flinching. "If you read my report, Mace, you'd understand that – on top of his many demands – we spent far too long waiting for him. It was not prudent for my men to waste their time dealing with Kerr any longer than they did."
"Be that as it may, you disobeyed a direct order," Mace replied. "It wasn't your place to make that call."
But Kali shook her head. "I disagree. It's entirely my place, Master." She did her best to sound calm and unaffected. Master Windu sighed and pinched the bridge of his forehead, striking her as a man who had a very trouble-filled plate. There's so much going on right now, more than I'm even aware of, from what Obi-Wan has mentioned. I shouldn't be adding to his stress. Indeed, she did feel remorse about that, for all that she was convinced she'd made the correct choice.
Finally he spoke again. "When you have rescued Knight Tallis' Padawan, you are to return to Coruscant. We have much to discuss, Kalinda." There was a long pause while she smoothed out the fabric of her tunic.
"More to say, have you?" The diminutive Jedi Master was studying Kalinda.
She nodded, but did not say anything for a moment. After another glance at the clones, she spoke. "After we rescue Zara, Masters, I'd like to take some time to track down the missing clone cadets."
The Jedi exchanged glances. "Quinlan Vos couldn't find them, Kalinda," Mace said. "And even so...it was eight months ago. What makes you think that you will succeed?"
"I don't know for certain," she admitted. "But I do know that I have to try. I can't allow those boys to be lost any more. I will succeed where Quin failed. I will see them to safety."
Kali kept her voice as neutral as she could, but she knew that they could tell how upset she was. But I must do something. On her squad's mission to Kamino months ago, she and Stone had encountered a young clone boy – the first young clone she'd ever met – and she had entertained him with some simple Force-tricks; for one moment he'd looked like a child and not like a miniature soldier as he's smiled up at her. She couldn't get the image out of her mind. Even if I fail, I have to try. But I don't think I will. I believe that they're out there...afraid and alone.
Though she had been speaking to Mace, it was Yoda who replied. "Needed every Jedi is at the moment. Let the boys go, you must." His gaze on her was fixed and unblinking.
Without pausing to think she shook her head. "Master, I don't think I can."
"We will discuss the matter when you have retrieved Padawan Karell and returned to the Temple," Mace said in a sharp voice. "Inform us once you have her." Abruptly, the transmission ended and Kali felt more than a twinge of anxiety.
She sighed and leaned back in the chair for one moment, rubbing at her forehead while she stared out the viewport. A presence beside her made her turn to see Milo, regarding her with curiosity and – she thought – and edge of remorse. Now what's going on with him? "Everything okay, Mi?"
He nodded, though his expression was thoughtful. "I want to help you find those kids, Kalinda," he said, his voice quiet. "I'm with you."
Something in his tone was off, almost...guilty? She frowned to herself even as she nodded to him. "Thank you. I'll need all the help I can get."
After nodding again, the younger clone glanced at Weave, who was bent over the console, fiddling with the calibration of the instrument panel. "What about you?"
"Of course," his brother replied. "I'm not broken, Milo. Of course I'm going to help."
Milo's face reddened. "I didn't mean...I know you're not broken, Weave." He looked stricken and Kali took a deep breath.
"How much longer until the ship is ready?"
Weave shrugged. "Not long." At Kali's look he clarified. "No more than twenty minutes."
"Great." She activated her comm. "Stone?"
"Kali." He sounded tired.
Kalinda glanced in the direction of the camp, where she could make out the milling, white-armored figures of clone troopers. "We're about twenty minutes from departure. How are things on your end?"
There was a pause before his tone changed to a more formal one. "General Halcyon. We're about done here as well. General Tallis asks that I inform you that she's ready when you are." From the tenor of his voice she could discern that Honi was standing right next to him, probably tapping her foot in the dust with her usual impatience.
"Thanks, Stone. Meet us back here when you're done, please."
Even through the formality she could hear the warmth in his voice. "Can't wait."
A/N: Honi's actually a canon character (if you consider the EU to be canon); she's in one of the Jedi Apprentice books by Jude Watson. However, I've added her personality and last name. You'll learn more about her in a future chapter.
Many, many thanks to those of you who have reviewed!
One last thing: if you're keeping up with The Misadventures of Shadow Squad, after today I'm going to switch to Saturday updates, so as not to overload anyone's inbox! Also, keep your eyes peeled on Monday for a special treat. :P