Chapter Eight: If It Wasn't For Bad Luck...

1081 days ABG

"Kriffing. Hell."

"Crest..." Milo glanced at his brother, who was frozen in place, arm outstretched as he was just finishing setting a charge on one of the interior walls of the facility's lowest level. It was a dimly lit corridor, though the glow of the younger clone's HUD made the fact irrelevant, and he'd taken to study the blueprint that Weave had uploaded to their intel-feed. Just in case. In the moment before the alarm it had been so quiet he had thought that he could hear the murmur of blood in his veins. The sudden sound of the klaxon had nearly made him jump out of his armor. "What did you do?"

"What makes you think it was me?" His brother snatched his hand back from the wall as though he'd been shocked, tilting his head to look around at their position.

Milo scanned the area with his HUD but couldn't determine if there were any unfriendlies nearby. All I see is corridor and cobwebs. He watched as Crest reached for his final charge at this level and sighed. "Right. Let's keep on, then. We still have a job to do."

Soon they were hurrying down the passage, their steps silent beneath the screaming alarm; after a moment Milo had to deaden the sound with his helmet. How can anyone think through this? Well, I guess it doesn't matter so much with droids. "How many more do you have to set?"

"Ideally?" Crest managed to sound thoughtful even at the pace they were setting. "A few dozen. Realistically? Maybe five." The corridor curved to the left, the incline ascending enough to make their muscles work that much harder. It felt like one smooth spiral that would – Milo figured – eventually lead them to the top-most layer. This particular section looked as if no living creature had entered it in decades; he could make out layers of dust and grime, as well as cracked chips of ceiling that had been shaken loose by some long-ago trauma.

"Five?" They paused as Crest bent to set another charge, taking the time to ensure that it was calibrated properly before placing it along the smooth, ancient wood of the wall. On a whim, Milo removed his helmet to glance around with his own eyes, deece lifted, straining to hear the sound of any approaching tinnies. The faint light cast his and Crest's armor in a sickly glow that made him uneasy, so he replaced the bucket after a moment.

He watched Crest work, noting the deftness of his brother's hands. "To do the job right, I'd set up at least two dozen more, but I'll wager we're going to have to beat a hasty retreat here in a minute, Mi. On that note..."

"Right." Milo activated his comm. "Kalinda?"

Static.

He frowned and tried again. "Captain?"

"Milo. Update?" Stonewall's voice was unnaturally calm.

"Crest says he's got another few dozen charges to set."

"He's got time for five."

Crest's chuckle was audible even through the wailing alarm. "Great minds, eh Cap?"

Stonewall sighed. "We have Creon in custody, along with one of the lads, but it looks like we're going to need some help...can you make it here when you're done? The lab's on the fourth level from the top, east sector."

"Of course," Milo replied. "But we don't have much time..."

At this, Crest shook his head. "You go. I've got this." Now he sounded calm, without a trace of his usual joviality.

He always means business with those dets. Guess that's the smart way to be with powerful explosives.

There was hesitation in Stonewall's reply. "I don't like you two splitting up."

"And I don't like a rushed job," Crest said, his voice firm. "Captain, we both know that these dets aren't toys. I'll keep to the base levels and then quit this place the moment I'm done. This way, everyone can have enough time to complete their missions and we can all watch the fireworks together – from atmo."

"Crest, you're sure?" The captain's voice had taken on the clipped, precise intonation that all clones favored in the heat of battle, but Milo thought he could still detect a note of anxiety.

This is what it means to be in command; making the tough calls. I hope I'm ready when the time comes. Milo swallowed. "He's right, Captain. I can make it to your position in no time at all. Creon and the boys' extraction is our main objective, right?"

A sigh that said so much without a word before Stonewall replied. "Milo, we'll see you in a minute. Crest-"

"Be careful, I know," the bald clone replied, his tone light again, as if he was about to crack a joke. "Same flarg, new day."

Zara had never been quite so relieved to see the red-haired Human woman in all her life, even though the Jedi's features were distorted by the grating above her head and the dim light that filtered through. "Master Tallis?"

There was no response for a moment as her master bent to work the grating free before she looked up and spoke to someone else. "Traxis, right? Help me." Zara could hear the sound of weapons being set away and the noise of boots scuffing against the floor.

Beside Zara, the other cadets had clustered around, peering up at the Jedi and the image of a clone trooper who soon came into view, bending down to try and pry open the grate. No-Name glanced at the others. "Stand back. Let them work." He put a hand on Zara's arm and she moved aside with him.

"Crinking, rusty..." The clone trooper's voice was a growl and Risky chuckled even though No-Name shot him a look.

In the background, Zara could hear another Human voice, and though she didn't recognize the Force-presence, she figured it was her master's old master, Kalinda Halcyon. As she was about to ask, an alarm began to sound and the adult clone let out another curse; the grate was well and truly stuck, it seemed. Zara watched as her master drew back and reached for her saber even as she cast a look down at her Padawan, while the trooper paused and seemed torn between the blasters at his sides and the grate below him.

"Honi, droids." The other woman's voice held a warning and that was when Zara felt a slice of danger. The rippling smell of plasma and ozone came along with the sound of a lightsaber being ignited, and Master Tallis let out a frustrated sigh as she stood up and activated her own weapon.

Kalinda's voice sounded again. "Traxis, get them out. We'll cover you." Almost as soon as she said the words, the shriek of blaster-fire began. Zara shrank back against the wall, overwhelmed by the miasma of tibanna mixed with her own fear, as well as the grinding, metallic sound of the approaching droids; moments later she could smell the sear of metal where the sabers connected with their marks.

"Right." The trooper pulled out a wicked-looking blade from a slot in his armor and began to work the grating free. After a few unsuccessful attempts he let out another curse. "How the kriff did you lot get in there to begin with?"

It was Keo who answered. "Sir. We came in from an entrance in another sector, sir."

The soldier sighed, but No-Name spoke next. "Risky, get on my shoulders. Maybe we can push it from our side and help him out." The hum of lightsabers while they arced through the air was almost tangible, as was the sound of droid steps mixing with the footfalls of the two Jedi above their heads. Zara watched as Risky clambered aboard No-Name's shoulders and the two boys began to push against the grating even as the adult clone wedged his knife in again. Shots of crimson were evident above his head, and Zara saw him duck more than once, his hand reaching for one of his blasters as if on impulse.

"Kalinda?" His voice was faint but anxious over the sounds of battle even as he wriggled the blade along the side of the grate.

There was a moment before the Jedi replied; Zara could feel her agitation in the air along with the sharp scent of hot carbine. I thought that Jedi weren't afraid of anything.

"There's too many of them," she called. "Trax...new plan: stealth's not really an option any longer. Get down there and get those kids to safety. We'll catch up with you as soon as we're finished here." At that moment the grate popped free and the clone trooper slid it to the side.

Master Tallis sounded alarmed. "Kalinda..."

A new blaster sounded with a keening shriek and Zara barely heard the unfamiliar Jedi speak again. "Honi, we can't have them in the middle of this and we'll need to provide cover. Trax?"

The clone trooper muttered something that Zara couldn't make out before he waved the cadets out of the way and slid down beside them into the ventilation shaft. Soon he was hunched over and seemingly unaware of the way that the younger clones were gaping at him. "Come on," he said to the boys and Zara, casting a last look above them. "Way out's over there." The boys moved to follow him, except for No-Name, whose eyes were on Zara.

"Master Tallis?" She found that she couldn't move her legs as she watched the corridor above her head; where it had once been dark, the entire place was illumined by the red streaks of the droids' fire along with the occasional green and yellow glow of the lightsabers. "Master?"

The red-haired Jedi's voice was thick, even in the middle of combat. "Go, Zara. Traxis will see you to our ship. I'll meet you there, soon. I promise."

Zara blinked back tears. You should never make a promise in wartime.

Then there was a hand on her shoulder. No-Name gave her a small smile. "Come on, Commander. Time to move out."

"You will regret this." The Kaminoan's voice somehow managed to cut through the shrieking alarm, causing Weave to clench his jaw even as he moved to the main computer.

Stonewall had sheathed his lightsaber and was currently pointing his deece into Creon's back. "See any tranqs over there? I'm tired of listening to his voice, and I'm pretty sure he set off that alarm somehow."

It only took a moment to scan the various hyposprays that were laid out on a nearby table for Weave to determine which one contained the toxin in question, the structure of chemical compounds made clear by his implant. This thing is kind of handy, I guess. He tossed the spray to the captain, who injected Creon and nodded with satisfaction as the Kaminoan slumped.

"Much better. How's it coming?"

Weave had plugged in one of the datasticks he kept in his kit to Creon's workstation and was extracting what information he could. "I'm doing my best." While he waited for the data to transfer he cast a glance at the clone boy, who appeared to be sleeping on the dust-covered floor while Stonewall ensured that their prisoner was secure. The alarm was so loud that he found it difficult to concentrate, but he was determined. "Can you see if he's okay?"

In that moment, he noticed the captain's head tilting, as though he was speaking with one of the others and he almost put his own helmet back on. After a minute or two, Stonewall looked at him. "Milo's coming to help us extract these two. We'll need all the hands we can get." There was doubt in his voice but Weave didn't question him as he gathered what information he could; a glance around showed him that this lab was not as well-equipped as Perdax had been, but the Kaminoan's work had evidently not been slowed by the lack of pretty quarters.

Already there was so much information on this computer, he thought that it would take several clone lifetimes to go through. Good thing I brought a bunch of these things. When the first datastick was full he reached into his kit for another. Minutes later, after the sixth datastick, he detected a familiar form in the doorway: Milo.

Stonewall seemed relieved. "Creon's unconscious, but we weren't anticipating the extra passenger." He indicated the clone boy and Milo nodded, bending to scoop the boy up.

Weave turned. "I've got him, Milo. Help the captain with Creon...I think I've collected all I can."

"Then let's not hang around any more," Stonewall said, bending to lift the unconscious form of the Kaminoan. Even with Milo's help, Weave could see that it was not easy; however, he had other things on his mind as he lifted the clone boy, who was heavier than he should have been and Weave was very careful not to jolt his arm. Moments later they were hurrying down the corridor as best they could, given the things they carried.

Even with her blaster it was a difficult fight. Kali tried to sink into the Force and allow her movements to be guided, but the droids kept coming. The alarm was starting saw at her brain and she could feel her old injury acting up in her knee. She wanted to contact Stone again, but her comm had been knocked loose and crunched beneath the feet of the droids and she was too focused on the battle to call him through the Force.

However, a glance at her former apprentice showed that Honi's skills with a lightsaber had only improved since they'd last seen each other, for which Kali was grateful. Honi's saber was a blur of green light and she moved with absolute confidence, sinking the blade into droid after droid without hesitation. It was a heartening sight, and Kali was able to find her own rhythm after several minutes. Finally, the droids stopped coming and they were able to finish off those that remained with ease. Both women were covered in sweat when they exchanged glances.

"Zara and the others...I can't sense them. Are you certain that your clone is reliable?"

Kalinda bit back a retort. "I trust him with my life, Honi, as I do all of them." She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to gather her concentration. Stone?

We have Creon and the boy. We're on our way out.

She wondered at the boy but did not ask. We were set on by droids and had to send Trax off with Zara and the others. My comm's broken...have Mi and Crest finished their part?

There was a slight hesitation before he replied. Milo's with us. We needed another pair of hands. Crest is nearly done. We'll see you at the ship. She sensed an acute pang of worry from him at these words, for all that he kept his thoughts neutral, but there was no time for her to concern herself with the feeling.

Kalinda nodded and looked at her companion. "Let's go." She pointed to the grate and watched as Honi slid down first, following her a moment later. They had gone perhaps fifty meters when they heard a booming sound echo through the facility, the sudden shuddering of the walls and floor causing them to stumble. The two Jedi exchanged glances and Kali felt the blood draining from her face. "Crest...he wasn't supposed to set them off until we're all clear." She shut her eyes. Stone?

His reply was grim. I don't know, Kali. I can't get a hold of him.

There was a gentle touch on her shoulder. "Master. We have to go." Honi's voice was quiet and Kali forced herself to push through her own tangle of agitation as they continued on.

Traxis tried not to grimace as the kids stumbled along behind him. It was dark, yes, and he knew they were frightened, but he couldn't help but feel impatient with the entire situation. The fighting's going on somewhere else and I'm stuck babysitting. Naturally. He bit back his frustration as he heard someone trip; turning, he realized that it was Tallis' Padawan, who looked up at him with dark, wide eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He could tell that she was shaking, and her voice was a breath away from tears.

One of the clone boys stood beside her as if to offer support, but he said nothing, only glanced her way. In that moment, Traxis recalled a memory from his own boyhood – not so long ago, in the grand scheme of things – and found that some of his irritation fled as he looked at the Padawan. His first live-fire training session had been fatal to all but two of his group of eight brothers, and he recalled the moment that he'd completed the exercise and turned to congratulate the others, before realizing that only himself and another boy had survived. Helplessness in the face of something much larger and more powerful than you...being young and inexperienced is pretty bad; I didn't much care for it.

"It happens," he said, schooling his voice to be even. "But we have to hurry. Here," he held out his hand. Better to keep her close, anyway. Won't be good if this one gets lost again. She took his hand and he got an idea. "Everyone; take the hand of the fellow beside you. No one gets left behind." He watched as they linked hands and nodded to himself. Looking down at the Padawan, he realized that she was staring up at him with awe. Her eyes were large and black, though they lacked the size of most Nautolans; her features were fairly humanoid and he idly wondered if she had Human or Twi'lek blood. "Now," he said, keeping his voice as calm as he could as they set off again. "Let's get the kriff out of here."

As he'd expected the kids giggled, but the pleasant noise was overridden by the sound of a distant explosion; Trax felt the Padawan's hand tighten on his and he increased his pace. "It's okay," he murmured. "We're almost there."

"How do you know, sir?"

He didn't know which of the boys had asked, but it didn't matter at the moment. "It's my job." They hurried on. The ventilation shaft widened after a time and he found that he could stand upright with ease, which meant, he realized, that they were nearing its terminus. As long as it isn't the one that opens directly onto the kriffing mountain, we'll be...

"Look out!" The Padawan jerked his arm just in time to prevent him from falling out of a loose bit of floor that revealed a black, yawning chasm. He took a breath and looked down at her.

"Thanks, Commander."

She nodded but said nothing. The explosions were growing worse; it felt like the entire mountain was starting to shiver, and as he blinked into his HUD, Traxis wondered why Crest had decided to set everything off so early. "Captain?"

There was static for a moment before he got a distorted reply. "Trax...kids okay?"

"One hundred percent," he said. "But I don't suppose you know what's up with Crest? All those fireworks are making things annoying down here."

"Exit blocked?" The captain ignored the mention of Crest, which did nothing for Trax's nerves.

He glanced at the open air; below him he could only make out dark mountainside. "You could say that. You could also say that a jetpack would be pretty handy right now." The mountain shook again and he frowned. "Did the plan change?"

Stonewall's voice was grim. "I don't know right now...no contact with Crest. Can you circle back?"

"Negative. Booms are coming from that way." There was a hiss of static, then nothing. "Captain? Stonewall?"

Silence.

Kriffing son of a shabla nerf-herder. Traxis took a deep breath and glanced at the mountainside again. It was a long way down, but there was a narrow canyon that separated the area with where they'd left the Wayfarer and his current position. If we could cross, it's be easy as uj-cake to make it to the ship. Pretty big if. He sighed again and glanced at the kids, all of whom were staring up at him as if he was magical. Another look at the canyon.

It's not too wide. I think my cable could reach across...of course, there's the little matter of the fact that it's not just me at stake here. The weight of their lives seemed to fold over him, compounding his decisions into a knot of uncertainty. If I screw this up...

But one of the boys, the one who'd stuck by the Padawan, seemed to catch his train of thought. "We can do it, sir," he said with a nod to the chasm. The others nodded as well, their voices a chorus of agreement even as the mountain shook again. Small pieces of rock began to clatter to the floor, bouncing around their feet.

We don't have a choice. Not one that I can see, anyway. Traxis nodded; on a whim he took off his helmet and bent down on one knee to meet each of their eyes. "I'm going to fire my cable across the canyon," he said, keeping his voice measured. "And once I know it's safe, I'm going to send you across, two at a time." He glanced at the girl. "Commander, do you think you can use the Force to help us out? Just in case?"

Her pale blue skin had faded to a sickly gray. "I...I think so..."

She looked small and terrified, and he felt for her, but now simply wasn't the time to give in to fear. He tried to think what Kalinda would do in this situation and reached forward to pat her back awkwardly. "I know it's hard, Commander, but you need to trust yourself." She nodded, but her hands were clenched and her tentacles – or lekku or whatever they were called – trembled.

But after a moment the girl closed her eyes and her face transformed into an expression that told Trax she was grasping for the Force.

So he stood up and replaced his bucket; he took a minute to scan the other side to search for what would hopefully be a stable area. Not my best plan, but I don't know what else we can do. He lifted his deece and activated the grappling cable, taking another moment to aim. His finger rested on the trigger and he willed his hands to stop shaking.

As he squeezed, the mountain started coming down around them.

As he was talking to Traxis, Stonewall felt the blast before he saw it; an intense heat that seemed to sear right through his armor while also knocking him off of his feet. He felt Milo go down as well, Creon's body falling to the metal floor as they dropped him. Part of his brain still wondered at Crest's whereabouts, but he couldn't expend too much energy worrying about things that were beyond his control in this instant, so he focused on picking himself up. There was burning in his legs and his arms, but he was able to stand, helping Milo as well. "Weave?"

"We're okay." His brother had managed to duck behind an alcove, the boy still limp in his arms. "But let's not linger."

"Right." After picking up Creon they began to run again even as the entire place shook and shuddered. Stonewall tried to call Kali, but it was useless. He could hardly hear his own huffing breath above the shrill alarm and the sound of explosions. There was another distant blast, but this time they were able to keep their feet.

Weave called out. "I think the front entrance is over here, according to the blueprint." His head tilted to indicate a direction, so Milo and Stonewall followed as fast as they could. Indeed, a moment later Stonewall could make out a door of some kind; naturally there were droids clustered in their path.

Without pausing to consider anything but what the necessary outcome of the situation needed to be, he dropped Creon, reached for his saber and leaped ahead of Weave and Milo to block the droids' fire. As if moving of its own volition, his body shifted and spiraled to avoid the shots of crimson while the saber deflected them. Now I understand what Kali meant. There was no thought in his mind besides clearing the way for his brothers; part of him watched in wonder as the droids fell before the glowing blue blade like melting butter until there were none left standing.

Where the way had been blocked, it was clear now and his brothers made their way to his side. While Milo stood by the panel, Stonewall plunged the blade in the door, cutting a way out as he'd done with Kalinda's saber so long ago on Japarran. He waved Weave through first, then Milo, who was hunched over as he dragged Creon with him.

As Stonewall moved to help Milo lift the Kaminoan again, he caught a familiar presence: Crest. Wounded but alive.

He shouted at the others to go on even as he leaped back inside, intent on finding his brother. Despite the fact that he must have come from another sector altogether, Crest was not far away. When the captain approached him in the darkness, Stonewall noted the lack of a helmet, the extensive carbon scouring on his armor and the pained look on his brother's face as he stumbled to his knees.

"Blasted battle droids ambushed me." The bald clone's voice was odd and calm. "I'm sorry, Captain. One of them stepped on the detonator when it fell from my hand...set off all the charges." He gave a weary laugh even as Stonewall helped him to his feet; it was still difficult to think through the blare of the alarm, but the clone captain was determined to see his brother to safety.

"Come on, vod," he said as they began to amble for the door. "Let's go."

"No," Crest shook his head. "You don't understand...there's more." His voice was fading and he stumbled again.

Before Stonewall could ask him what he meant, the floor below the clones groaned. The walls folded and the ceiling rushed to meet them in a shower of heat and fire.

Another cliff-hanger? Yup. :P

Heaps of gratitude to those of you who've left reviews! It's wonderful to know that y'all are enjoying this story!

Just for fun: If you can complete the quote from the chapter title, I'll give you an internet cookie! (Hint: it's a blues song. And a kriffing good one, at that.)