Chapter Six: Almost There and Nowhere Near It

1080 days ABG

Zara had managed to fall asleep – in earnest this time – when she heard a soft rapping sound against the door of her cell, followed by a hushed but familiar voice. "Commander?"

"No-Name?"

There was a soft chuckle and she could sense his presence after a moment. "Yes, Commander Zara. I'm trying to open your door. We're going to escape."

For a moment she was flabbergasted and couldn't determine which of the many questions in her mind that she wanted to ask first. Finally she got to her feet and moved to the door. "Free your brothers first, No-Name. You've all been here longer."

"Is that an order, Commander?" She couldn't quite understand his inflection; she thought it may have been humorous, but there was a note of sorrow as well. Either way, she could feel his anxiousness as an almost tangible essence in the air.

Zara shook her head, then remembered that he couldn't see her. "But you and your brothers...look, just get them out, okay?"

Another pause, then she heard him sigh. "Yes, Commander Zara. I'll be right back...please don't go anywhere." The levity in his tone was evident that time and she gave a faint smile as she listened to him go to the next room and start working the panel by the door. A minute later there was a hushed mutter of voices, words spoken so fast and with such familiarity that she wasn't sure if they were speaking Basic or if the clone cadets had some other language all their own.

If he's escaped from the Kaminoan, they'll be looking for him. The realization struck Zara all at once, so she took a breath and tried to relax again, hoping to extend her senses and reach out through the Force to try and determine if anyone was coming. There was nothing – for now – but she didn't need the Force to tell her that their window of opportunity was shrinking. She heard a soft, mechanical noise followed by a boy's hiss of satisfaction; the door next to her room opened and she could almost taste the clones' delight at their freedom. The sound of booted feet moved to beyond her door and she could hear No-Name issuing muffled orders to the others.

"Risky, Keo: keep an eye out for that aiwha-bait or his droids. Finn, you're better at this techy stuff than me; there's some kind of special lock on the Commander's cell..."

"Right."

Zara stood by the door and waited, her senses stretched as far as they could go; she felt tired and sore as well, but she was able to push the feeling aside for the time being in light of her new focus. There was more beeping, then she heard the door unseal with a hiss. When it opened, she had to blink her eyes as the cell filled with muted light from the corridor beyond; she could make out four figures, about her height. As her eyes adjusted to the transition, she was able to take a better look at the clone cadets.

Her observations held; they looked to be about her age, possibly in their early teens, though she knew that such a thing meant that they were only about six or seven standard years old. As she'd noted before, they were disheveled and filthy after living in captivity for so long, but their expressions were eager. She could sense that they were frightened and weary, but determined beyond anything else to get out of this place.

One of them stepped to her and saluted. "Commander Zara. You're free." She wasn't sure how she knew, but it was No-Name. Behind him, the others stood at attention, and Zara had to fight the inexplicable urge to start giggling at their intense formality. What's wrong with me? Nerves, I guess. She nodded to him and tried to appear calm and capable.

However, before she could say anything, one of the others shot a nervous look down the corridor. "What's that?"

Zara concentrated. Indeed, she caught the faintest brush of some, sharp metallic thing in the air. "Droids, I think." She looked at No-Name, who was staring at her. "I don't suppose you have a plan to get us out of...wherever we are?"

He actually flushed and looked at his feet. "Didn't think that far ahead, sir."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to make it up as we go," Zara replied with a smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I usually forget to plan for the next step, too."

At this, he met her eyes and nodded once before glancing at the others. "Right, men. You heard her. Let's move out."

The Wayfarer cleared the asteroid field without incident. The moment that she was able, Kali asked Milo and Crest to take the helm so that she could be present while her former Padawan attempted to call Zara again. "Let's go to the hold," she said to Stone and Honi, the latter of whom was still regarding the former with a wary eye. "Less distractions." Once they reached the room, she took a seat on one of the crates and indicated that they should do the same thing.

Honi cleared her throat and looked at Stonewall, but her words were directed at Kalinda. "Why does he need to be here, again?"

To his credit, Stonewall made no indication that he took offense to the mistrust in red-haired Jedi's tone, even as he glanced at Kali with a somewhat sardonic expression. Before she replied, Kali studied her former Padawan for several long moments – again doing her best to impersonate Mace Windu's level stare – causing the younger woman to shift awkwardly on her crate. Finally she spoke. "I've explained it to you, Honi. Stone and I share a somewhat unusual connection with the Force. I understand that it's strange to you, but you must try to work with both of us." I know it's silly, but I do wish they'd get along. Honi's so abrasive sometimes, and as patient as Stone is, I have a feeling that she'll start to get on his nerves eventually.

Honi blinked and nodded despite the fact that Kali could tell that she was not convinced. Rather than dwell on the other woman's feelings, she looked at Stone and tried to convey something of an apology in her gaze as she spoke to him. "Are you ready?"

"Always." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes; she could see him sinking into a meditative state. After a moment Honi did the same and for a little while, the cargo hold was silent.

Kalinda closed her own eyes and tried to attune herself to the currents of Force-energy that were eddying between the other Jedi and the clone captain before adding her own strength to theirs, making sure to concentrate only on fortifying them. She could feel Honi's efforts as an almost palpable ripple in the air, but they were scattered and inchoate; by contrast, Stone's own focus was laid against it, solid and sure as he was, and she felt an overwhelming urge to touch him, but kept the feeling in check. That would probably break everyone's concentration, though it might be entertaining – for Stonewall and I, at any rate.

Long minutes passed. As they approached the hour mark, Honi shifted in her seat and opened her eyes, blinking several times before she glanced at Stonewall, who was still seated with his eyes closed. Despite the fact that he was keeping as still as his namesake, Kali could feel excitement emanating from him. "Well?"

Brows knitted, Honi looked from Stonewall to Kalinda. "That was...strange." At Kali's look she sighed. "I couldn't 'speak' to her, as I did before, but I was able to get a sense of what was happening with her." She frowned as the clone captain opened his eyes, lifting his gaze to rest on her briefly before returning to Kali.

"I did as well." His voice was quiet.

Kali slid off of her crate and moved to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "And?"

A faint smile played on his mouth as he looked at her. "I have a better idea of the layout of the place, but the most important thing is that the boys appear unharmed. But..." he took a breath and held Kali's gaze. "I only counted four."

She felt numb. "Four?" There were eight. Eight boys. And an adult clone. Was I foolish to think I could save them all? She shook her head, trying to swallow her agitation as she looked at him. "Four."

"I don't know about the others," he replied, his voice still quiet. "Kali, I'm sorry." There was silence for a moment before he looked at Honi. "Your Padawan seems to be on top of things."

"She's young, but capable," Honi replied, somewhat stiffly. "She managed to rescue the clone boys, at least."

Trying to ignore the swell of her anxiety, Kali nudged Stone's shoulder. "What else? A little information goes a long way towards me keeping my sanity."

He reached for her, kissing her cheek once and ignoring Honi's expression. "I don't know if things will be any easier, but they are definitely going to be interesting."

Though his training had given him the ability to fall asleep at the drop of a bucket, Milo found that he was too restless to even attempt such a thing right now. From his place at the helm, Crest glanced at him. "I've got this if you want to doze for a while."

"Nah." Milo took a breath and watched the swirl of hyperspace, his thoughts on another matter entirely. I should be thinking about the mission; after all, if I really do get a promotion, I won't be able to let my mind wander off any more. But the image of the red-haired Jedi kept popping up in his brain and he found himself wondering if she liked her freckles –he'd taken a moment to look up the term while no one was paying him any mind – and thinking that he did.

"I think this is it," Crest said after a moment. At Milo's quizzical look he nodded to the space beyond the viewport. "I think we're going to get that shabla Kaminoan this time. I just hope that I get a shot in before Traxis snaps his neck." The bald clone sounded unusually bitter and Milo figured that his thoughts were centered on Weave. He knew that his own often were.

My brother deserved better than that. And even though we've tried to be...nice to him, I know he's self-conscious about his implant. How can he not be? Milo had not dealt with Creon Dai directly, but he wondered how he – or any of his brothers – would handle the Kaminoan when they found him. Because we are going to find him. Shaking away the unsettling thoughts, Milo cleared his throat. "We're just supposed to bring him into custody, Crest. Besides, if we kill him, Weave might never understand what all he did."

Crest glanced at him, a brow lifted. "Is that something that Weave said? Because I get the impression that he's just as anxious to get a shot in as anyone, if not more so."

Milo hesitated; Weave was reluctant to speak of his implant, but some things became evident whether or not you wanted them known. "Sort of," he said at last. "He talks in his sleep, sometimes." I wish he didn't.

A long exhale was Crest's only response for several minutes before he nodded. "Yeah." It was more than either of them wanted to dwell on, so there was a heavy silence for a while longer before Crest cast him a sideways glance. "So...the new general."

"What about her?" The bald cloned raised a brow at him and Milo rolled his eyes. "Come on..."

"Just calling it like I see it, vod," Crest replied, lifting one of his hands from the console. "She's...interesting. Not at all how I imagined a student of Kalinda's would be."

"And she can probably tell that we're talking about her, so you should keep your mouth shut." As if to illustrate his point, Milo glanced behind him at the entrance to the cargo bay, where the Jedi and the captain were ensconced and doing their Force-thing.

But Crest was nothing if not completely without tact, though often it was purposeful. "You think she's pretty, don't you?" He smiled when Milo didn't answer. "Thought so."

"Well, she is," Milo said at last. "No harm in looking, is there?"

His brother shrugged. "She's not really my type." Some memory seemed to cross his mind and his eyes grew distant for a moment before he seemed to snap out of it. When he looked back at Milo, his expression was wry. "Good luck with that, Mi. I don't think that any of us will be able to follow in Stonewall's footsteps in the whole Jedi-love department, but it might be fun to watch you try."

Milo let out a huff of exasperation. "Has anyone told you lately that you're a real pain in the shebs?"

Crest glanced at his chrono. "Not today, actually. You're the first. Good work...shiny."

Creon's knee was still aching, but he had no time to concern himself with it as he ordered the droids to search the facility for the rogue clone unit. He cast a glance at the unit that had already been modified, but it was not yet ready to be tested. "Scan for any sign of life," he said to the nearest droid, a B1 with the distinctive yellow markings that indicated it contained more complex programming than the others that would – in theory – allow it some idea of tactical strategies. "I want that unit contained, but do not destroy it. They are not so easy to come by, any longer." He watched the droid totter off.

The first one took so well to the nanogene droids. I cannot allow even one of the others to escape. His leg twinged and he frowned to himself as he moved to search for a hypospray that would deaden the pain. At the very least, that one will make an excellent combat unit. Just as he was about to inject the medicine, his communicator chimed, the notes indicating that it was Wat Tambor.

"I would like an update on your progress." The Skakoans never bothered with the social pleasantries of greetings, which Creon normally liked about them, though this time he almost wished that things were different, as he did not have an acceptable answer ready at the moment.

Creon frowned at first, but was careful to smooth his features before he replied. "I am in the process of creating more of the nanos. It is rather a delicate..."

Tambor's voice was usually mechanical and monotone, but Creon thought that he might have been able to detect notes of impatience, even anxiousness. "I have spoken with the rest of the Separatist Council regarding the cyborg unit that you have created; with the direction the war is taking, they want to push our advantage in every way possible, and have requested that it be brought to them at once. You will prepare it for battle-readiness within two point five days. Additionally, the Council wishes to take possession of the remaining, non-modified units. You will implant the nanogene droids and prepare them for shipment immediately."

"The first unit is not yet fully programmed," Creon replied with a real frown. "And if you want more nanos, I will need more time."

"I cannot give it to you. The war has made time a luxury we cannot afford. Prepare the units."

The transmission ended.

Creon took a deep breath and glanced around the chamber, noting the dusty coating along the walls and floor. He could see the marks of the droids, as well as the small prints of the clone unit who had escaped. There is nowhere for it to go. There is no way off of this mountain for a mere Human child. His shoulders relaxed, especially once he took in the unit that he'd modified that was resting along the far wall. A moment later he was striding over to it, studying its progress on the holo-charts at its station. Its programming is not yet complete, but perhaps it can still serve some purpose.

With a very un-Kaminoan smirk, he activated the unit, watching with pleasure as its eyes opened and it looked up at him.

"It appears to be a residence that's been converted to a lab of sorts for our long-necked friend." Stonewall had pulled up a holo-projector and was attempting to input what detail he could with the images he'd caught from Honi's Padawan.

Bucket-less for once, Weave nodded and lifted the datapad he'd been scouring over. "I did a little more digging; it seems that the Techno-Union Guild owns the entire planet of Sethos. What's more...I think I found an old blueprint of the building. It used to be a fancy retreat for wealthy folks." He tapped a code into the 'pad and everyone looked up as a blue holographic image of a squat, mushroom-shaped structure appeared before them, rotating slowly.

It appeared to be built directly into the side of a mountain, the curved dome of the roof facing the sky. Another stroke against the screen pulled up a rough outline of the interior, which consisted of a myriad of rooms and corridors along the outer edges, with the inner section reserved for a long hallway that seemed to curve up and through the entire building in a spiraling fashion. "It's old, but it stands to reason that the basic structure of the place isn't too different."

"Good work," Stonewall said, regarding the image with appreciation. "I'll feel a bit better going into all this with some more intel, especially now that the young ones are at large." He glanced up and met the eyes of each of his men as they looked up at him from their places at the rounded table in the common area of the Wayfarer. "Right now, we have several tasks: to rescue the kids, bring the Kaminoan into custody-"

"And bring down the house," Crest added, grinning as the others rolled their eyes at the pun. "Right?"

Ignoring his brother, Traxis leaned forward. "How are we going to get in? I don't think we can just knock on the front door."

Weave nodded and pointed to the bottom corner of the image, his voice holding an excited edge that Stonewall hadn't heard him use in some time. "I thought about that, too. There looks to be a servants' entrance here, and another one there...along with some larger ventilation shafts that open up onto the mountain itself."

Crest raised a brow. "Mountains? So we'll need ascension cables in addition to the multitude of ordo that I'm planning on carrying. I've been saving some rather powerful stuff for a special occasion like this, you know."

Kalinda and Honi exchanged glances before Kali spoke. "I'm not worried so much about getting in as getting out; we'll have quite a few more passengers if all goes as I hope." She paused. "We don't know what condition the children are in, so we'll need to be prepared for the worst. As it stands there are only four boys left, that we know of."

At this, Weave looked up. "Only four?" Kali nodded and his face darkened further still. "We didn't give away all of our medical supplies on Orea, did we?"

Traxis and Crest glanced at one another. "We'll be okay for a time," Crest replied. "But we might need to make a pit-stop once we leave Sethos depending on...well..."

Stonewall cleared his throat, causing them all to look up at him. "Speaking of getting out; Kali, do you think that you can use your shield to keep the kids hidden if the rest of us create a distraction?"

"Yes, but it'd better be a good one. I'll need every bit of my energy, and even then it may not be enough."

"I've been thinking about that, actually." He looked at Weave. "Vod, I know that this may be a lot to ask of you, but I think that Creon has some unfinished business with you and I."

Weave met his eyes, his implant glowing while his voice was quiet and dangerous. "I think you mean that the other way around, Captain."

At this, Traxis sat up, balling his fists and hitting them once on the table-top. "No way you're taking on the aiwha-bait without me."

But Kali was shaking her head. "Trax..." Her tone held a warning.

The scarred clone looked at her. "This is important, Kalinda."

"I know," her voice was soft as she replied. "But not as important as helping those boys – your brothers – and Zara. Their well-being is our primary goal."

"I thought our mission was to apprehend that chakaar."

Stonewall cleared his throat, but Kalinda replied. "Our mission has changed, remember?"

Traxis frowned. "Says who?"

"Says General Halcyon," Stonewall replied. "Kalinda's in charge, here, Trax. I hope you haven't forgotten that. She has the final say." There was a moment where he stared at his scarred brother; finally the other man sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms before him.

General Tallis had watched the exchange without comment and once the room was silent, she gave a weighted sigh. "Now that the chain of command has been re-established, can we get back to the plan, please?"

Stonewall nodded. "Right. Weave and I will track down Creon and keep him occupied while the rest of you rescue the lads and Commander Karell. Once they're safe, I think it best if the five of us contain the long-neck so that he can be returned to Coruscant."

"If we can reach a Republic cruiser, we can always drop him off there, as well," Kalinda added. "I think I remember seeing that the Infinity was in the area. As soon as we're done here, I'll contact them and ask them to stand-by should we need their help." She met his eyes and he could see that she was apprehensive, for all that she was keeping her tone neutral.

Milo spoke up next. "Just to be clear, you do want Crest to destroy the structure once we're done, right?"

"Please say yes." The bald clone's voice was hopeful.

Stonewall met Kali's eyes and she looked uncertain. If we do, we might destroy any chance of figuring out what he did to Weave.

But the clone captain shook his head. We'll have Creon. That will have to be enough. I don't want to risk anyone else being able to pick up where he left off. It was a moment more before she nodded, though he could tell that she had her misgivings.

Crest was looking from one to the other, as he was used to their silent communication. General Tallis, however, seemed perturbed, though the bald clone flashed her a wide grin. "It's bit much to get used to, General, but they make an effective team."

Kali smiled at Crest, who returned the look. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. In that case, you and Milo can place some charges and ensure that the place is destroyed once we're clear. Honi, myself and Trax will rescue the boys and Zara while Stonewall and Weave deal with Creon." She glanced at the red-haired woman, who still looked skeptical. "Have a little faith, will you?"

"Hang on to your buckets, boys," Crest replied. "This is going to be a blast." He snickered while Traxis cast his eyes to the ceiling.

Milo groaned. "I can't believe you went there."

"Hey, it's a dirty job..."

Really Crest, really? Have you no shame? Evidently not. :P

After this, the "thrilling heroics" will start to pick up a bit more. Please leave a review! Even just a word or two is welcome...