"Steel unload / final blow. / We the animals take control! / Hear us now / clear and true - / Wretches and kings, we come for you."
"Wretches and Kings"
Linkin Park
"Korbin!" Fives hissed; Cody was tempted to glance briefly at his brother, but everything he needed to know about the ARC's frame of mind was expressed in the vehemence of that single name.
Fives was furious...and worried. From the moment of their unnatural "birth", all clones lived with each other in a sea of identical faces. The only thing that set them apart was the pitch of their voices and the subtle nuances of their words. Cody had learned, from the time that he was old enough to wear a helmet, to gather as much inflection, emotion, and information from his brothers with nothing more to go on than a few words via comlink. So, it didn't matter that Fives' face was covered, or that Cody's visual attention was focused solely on the equally armored figure in front of them – he could tell that the stranger's appearance unnerved his stalwart brother.
And that, more than the assassin's unannounced entrance, unsettled Cody's own confidence.
"For the sake of introductions, it's Captain Korbin," the new arrival rocked back on his heels and folded his arms over his armored chest.
He practically exuded arrogance and Cody found himself gritting his teeth in irritation. It was one thing to be confident, but unwarranted pretension had always raised his hackles. Though...Cody's eyes moved across his HUD to consider his blaster, which had been Force-thrown far out of easy reach...the captain's inflated sense of self-importance was not entirely without cause.
He glanced at a corner of his visor and blinked to increase his field of vision. The range in front of him shifted to include a complete 360-degree view and Cody considered the silent Kilia. She had identified herself as a former Jedi, but the clone was now left feeling a bit stumped. He had seen Jedi in action against whole armies of droids and he knew what even a mere padawan with her lightsaber could do – Cody couldn't help wonder why Kil stood as if transfixed.
Where's her lightsaber? Why isn't she fighting back?
The assassin was clearly Force-sensitive and at least moderately well-trained; though it looked simple enough, the ability to throw five blasters simultaneously in differing directions was not an effortless trick. Cody remembered watching Ahsoka learn to manipulate multiple objects in the open-bay gym during their down-time on the Resolute. He also knew from talking to Rex - who had a better understanding of such things because of his friendship with the gregarious padawan - that even the flick of a Jedi's hand was a matter of calculated intent and control.
Cody didn't doubt that the captain could throw their bodies around with just as much ease. A trained Force-sensitive had the upper hand, even against five opponents. Of course, they could all rush and overwhelm him – but why risk almost certain injury when they had a Jedi Knight on their side? Former or not, Kil should have been able to open her own hand and send the assassin flying toward the nearest wall.
As puzzled as he was over Kilia's inaction, Cody didn't miss the subtle tension of Saa's arms and the almost imperceptible shift of the merc's body weight. Sheresh had done the same and Cody could tell that she was waiting for some sort of signal from the senior alor. Rowin reached forward and grasped Kil's forearm; the Lepi slowly pulled the former Jedi back and stepped forward to put himself between her and the assassin. Only Kil and Fives remained rooted to their positions – Cody had no earthly clue what the female's problem was, but Fives' inaction was easily explained. Numa still had her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his shoulder; there was no way he was going to be able to set her down, without giving away his intentions.
It looked like the initial fight belonged in the hands of Sheresh, Saa, Cody, and Rowin. The former commander kept his posture loose, but slowly shifted his weight as well in preparation of a physical attack.
What the assassin did and said next derailed the impending charge before it even had a chance to start.
"I'd reconsider the wisdom of your intentions," the voice was dry and – Cody realized with a paradigm-shattering shock – eerily familiar. "And be thankful for Kilia's insistence on introductions. She's the only reason any of you will walk out of this building breathing."
"Wha-?" Rowin shook his ears and blinked, his whiskery face mirroring the dumbstruck confusion that Cody felt.
Korbin didn't explain himself, however; he simply stepped boldly into the middle of the group. He did, however, turn swiftly and grab Saa's hand. The sudden movement spooked both Sheresh and Cody, but before the female Mandalorian could react on behalf of her alor, the assassin had lifted his other hand. She went flying backwards a few feet and landed hard on the rubble-littered floor. Her cry of alarm echoed off of the walls, but Cody knew better than to move again. Korbin's restraint intrigued him – Cody knew how far the Force could hurl a human body and Sheresh's backward momentum had been shocking, but not deadly. It had been almost something of a nudge – a warning, but nothing more.
Korbin hadn't even really switched his attention away from Saa. The older merc grunted and something clattered to the floor. Cody saw that the assassin had deftly twisted the Mandalorian's wrist in a direction it hadn't ever been made to move – a classic disarming technique that could break bone if done swiftly.
Once again, the captain's restraint raised just as many questions as Kilia's continued uninvolvement. Saa's wrist was merely turned – just hard enough to force the merc to drop his knife, but not hard enough to break his bones, or even to sprain his joint.
"Think about this before any of you decide to make a stupid move," Korbin's voice was a deadly growl and the continued familiarity of his voice turned Cody's blood impossibly cold. "If I actually intended to do the job I was sent here to do, you all would have been dead before you ever knew I was here."
The captain let go of Saa's hand and turned back toward Kil; he roughly shouldered the merc as he passed by and Cody reached out to steady his mentor's strangely wavering feet. The cause for Saa's floundering became apparent, as the Mandalorian spoke aloud the realization Cody had already made in his own head.
"You're a clone!"
"The voice gives it away, doesn't it? I suppose I should be mildly impressed, old man," Korbin didn't even bother looking over his shoulder to address Saa; his attention was still singularly attached to Kil. "You've clearly spent enough time around clones to be perceptive."
"But...that's impossible!" Sheresh had recovered from her fall and was gingerly picking herself up from the floor – slowly, no doubt, to keep from catching Korbin's suspicion a second time.
The clone assassin stopped just in front of Rowin, who bristled threateningly, but otherwise kept still. Korbin never turned his face toward Sheresh, but the dark amusement in his voice seemed to mesmerize her all the same.
"Even the Cuy'val Dar didn't know about the cloning facilities in Timira City. The Kaminoans still keep secrets that you couldn't fathom, Sergeant," Korbin paused, as if for effect, then added harshly, "There's others like me – Force-sensitive clones. I just happen to be the only one that doesn't intend to kill you."
"You might not kill us...but Appo's clearly sent you down here to round us all up," Fives snapped; he was still holding Numa tight, but Cody could tell that he was spoiling for a fight. "You do all of his kriffin' dirty work every other time he snaps his fingers at you – what's so fekkin' different now?"
"I see my interrogation methods have added another level to your inherent paranoia," Korbin reached for something on his belt and every body stiffened; Cody glanced at Rowin and the Lepi had a gleam in his eye that clearly stated his intention to die, if it meant keeping Kilia safe from harm. "But, I'll point out to you, Captain, that you're neither dead, nor still handcuffed in one the Pro Victoria's holding cells."
"And what the hells is that supposed to mean?" Fives demanded roughly.
"It means that clones tougher than you have found a highly coincidental death in the middle of my interrogations," Korbin finally pulled his hands up where everyone could see them; a cold chill crept down Cody's spine as a pair of lightsaber hilts glinted in the murky light. "Clones, incidentally, who have killed Jedi – which, so far as I know, you have not. And believe me," Korbin thumbed one of the 'sabers and a green blade hummed eerily to life. "I had a very thorough look at your record."
Not a single muscle moved, as an unearthly green light played across Rowin's face. The rabbit's eyes were wide in a mixture of fear and disbelief, but he stayed completely transfixed, unwilling to tempt that blade any closer to his body. Cody's frustration with Kilia had finally hit its peak – she had yet to draw an illicit blade of her own, or to exhibit any inclination whatsoever to use the Force in response to Korbin's almost-casual displays of power.
"It also means, Captain," Korbin continued to address Fives as if nothing unusual had just happened. "That no one has ever escaped Appo's grasp. Don't flatter yourself with the thought that you managed the impossible on your own."
"I don't believe it," Fives shook his head, his falsely blustering voice struggling to down-play the meaning of Korbin's words.
The assassin seemed completely unconcerned with Fives' struggle to accept his bold implications. Even Cody was flummoxed – Korbin had sauntered into their midsts with all the attitude of one who meant nothing but harm. Yet, he had done nothing truly violent so far, except to flaunt his unnatural ability as a veiled warning against any of their protective instincts. What the captain did next was so improbable, so unbelievable in its promise of hope, that it took Cody several long seconds before he could process the sincerity of Korbin's true intentions.
"I believe these belong to you now," Kil held out his hands – one blade still burning a brilliant Corellian emerald – and offered the twin lightsabers to Kilia.
The female Jedi-turned-space-captain put a slender hand on Rowin's arm and gently nudged him out of the way. The Lepi did as she silently asked, his face slack with desperate incredulity. Cody watched Kil's face for the truth of her emotions; there were tears in her eyes, which the clone had half-expected, as well as a look of disbelief. But, then she lifted her eyes from the glowing lightsaber that was held between her and Korbin, and something like recognition flashed across her face. That surprised Cody, as he hadn't expected there to be any sort of connection between the two; the fact that Korbin was offering her two lightsabers was curious enough, but the expression of hope that lifted up Kilia's face was even more puzzling.
She reached out her hand and Cody held his breath. Surely, now, she would take the 'sabers offered to her and render just due for the actions Korbin had made. But, Kil was – if anything – completely unpredictable. She simply put her hand around Korbin's larger, armored fingers, pressed her thumb against his, and deactivated the blade of gently droning jade.
Cody felt his jaw drop and he was thankful – as always – for the security of his helmet. He glanced at Saa and felt a bit better about his reaction – the merc was slack-jawed himself. Kil's actions were not the ones that any of them had anticipated.
Her curious silence continued, as she put both of her hands on Korbin's and gently pushed his fists down toward his belt. She pushed the offered lightsabers away from her and then lifted one hand to wave it twice in the air in front of Korbin's face. Her meaning was clear.
"No."
She let go of him completely, then, and Korbin was silent for several long heartbeats. He didn't speak again, until he had hooked the sabers back on his belt, where they had been to start with.
"Appo told me that you were with the Daa'sun's Kryst'shun, with the Lepi," Korbin continued to address Kilia; though his attention seemed fixed solely on her, everyone maintained their respective positions.
Cody doubted anyone had missed the familiarity with which Korbin had handled the lightsabers. In the absence of any inclination to use the Force on Kilia's part, it was wiser to see what else unfolded, before trying to take decisive action against the assassin a second time.
"And Captain Fives is right – I was sent down here to ferret you and the rest out. Appo figured it was a better use of our time, if I managed to catch you before the ground troops were sent in. But, if you'll trust me just a little bit, I'll make sure you and your companions get to safety tonight."
Kil's hands were the only movement; no one else seemed capable of movement. And even Kil only made a few slight movements; she seemed as shocked by Korbin's proclamation as everyone else.
"She wants to know why you're doing this?" Rowin's voice was a husky whisper.
Korbin said nothing for several minutes, but like Kil, his hands weren't idle. He reached out with his left hand and slowly reached behind her head. Kilia flinched and the Lepi hissed a wordless warning through his teeth, but Cody couldn't see what Korbin was doing until the space captain's long dark hair fell against her shoulders. Korbin moved his hand back where Cody could see it; he had loosely looped the tie that had held her hair around his gloved palm. Then he reached out again and slowly ran two of his fingers through a few stray locks of her newly-loosened hair. The assassin's gentleness was hard to miss and it was a poignant contrast to his previously displayed malevolence.
"Because I made a promise to be faithful," Korbin's voice had softened to a pitch Cody knew only too well – it was the kind of voice shared between lovers, in moments of darkness and intimacy. "And this is the only way I know how."
The captain's hand settled against Kil's cheek, and she didn't resist as he cupped her chin and lifted her face toward his faceless visor. Her eyes had grown wide and emotions that Cody couldn't place were warring across her slightly narrow face. But, she let the assassin bend his own head forward until his helmet touched her forehead; the only sound that broke the fragile silence was the sound of Sheresh shifting weight off of her bad leg.
"You look just like him," Korbin's voice was barely a whisper, but his words seemed to have a profound impact on Kilia.
Her whole body quivered and the hint of recognition that Cody had seen in her eyes before now blossomed into full realization. She said nothing, however – no explanation, no verbal acknowledgement of Korbin's confession. The former Jedi simply reached up, covered Korbin's hand in hers, closed her eyes, and let a single teardrop roll down against the clone's thumb.
The captain lifted his head after a moment and brushed his knuckles against Kilia's tear as he finally stepped away from her. Her eyes fluttered open and she watched him wordlessly. Cody was shocked to see that any fear she had had before was now gone. The look she gave Korbin was one of complete and total trust – and the former commander was at a loss to explain or understand what had just happened. All he knew was what he could see in Kilia's expressive face –
Their circumstances were about to change and somehow, for some unfathomable reason, Korbin could be trusted.
Most of those who were present, however, were not as willing to accept Korbin or the possibility of him helping them out of their current situation. Cody thought Fives might be the first to speak – since the ARC looked as if he was about to pop a vein – but Rowin beat him to the punch.
The rabbit, however, was not hostile – merely disbelieving.
"Wait...ya' knew Kian?" the Lepi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and something like astonishment flickered across his gently bristling whiskers.
"I...fought alongside him during the Wars," there was something about Korbin's tone of voice that made Cody narrow his own eyes and appraise the assassin cautiously.
There was more to the captain's words than he was willing to voice; Rowin seemed to pick up on it as well, since his astonishment was briefly replaced by suspicion. The rabbit never got a chance to articulate his misgivings, though, as Kil's hands began to move rapidly. This successfully distracted Rowin from his focus on Korbin. As her fingers danced through the air between her and the assassin, the Lepi's whiskers turned down first into a frown and then flattened against his cheeks as his ears twitched in something like amazement. When he finally spoke, to translate Kil's unspoken words for the rest of them, Rowin's voice bordered on wonder.
"She says that you don't have to explain yourself any more, if you don't want to," Rowin's eyes flickered momentarily toward Korbin; the rabbit's expression was hard to read. "She knows what you were to...Kian," the Lepi paused even as Kil paused; Cody watched her face closely, fascinated by the sorrow that cut a dark swathe through her expressive eyes. "You were often in his dreams."
Cody would have given anything to see Korbin's face in that moment. As it was, the assassin's shoulders tightened slightly at the mention of Kian's name, but then dropped as if burdened by a sudden grief when Kil brought up the dreams. The former commander had been reading armored body language all of his life – even though the emotions and subtle language of civilians often evaded him, he could tell the truth in a brother's body with almost pin-point accuracy.
There was a history between this Kian and Korbin – a connection that tied the captain's loyalty to Kilia, as well. Now was not necessarily the time or the place to puzzle those associations out, but Cody could tell that they were significant. And, that there was a kinship between both Kil and Korbin, that was deeply defined by heartache.
Cody's silent observations were cut short by Fives, who had apparently reached his full capacity for silence.
"You're not suggesting that we actually trust this bastard?" the ARC turned his visor toward Kil and his voice resonated with horror.
"If any of you would like to get out of here in one piece, I would highly recommend it," Korbin answered dryly; he finally turned away from Kil and faced Fives head-on for the first time.
"You beat Boil! Interrogated me! Threatened to kill us both, if we didn't spill our guts out!" Fives slowly bent his knees and lowered Numa's feet to the floor.
The ARC didn't seem to care any more if Korbin knew that he was preparing for a fight. Numa finally pulled her face out of Fives' shoulder and Cody saw her tear-streaked face for the first time that night. Her eyes were wide and her face pale, as she continued to cling to her nerra's arm. The Twi'lek youngling huddled as close as she could against Fives' body, and her eyes flashed nervously from Korbin, back to Fives, and then to Korbin again. Cody's own heart felt for her and for a moment, he longed to reach out to her and pull her away from Fives, to comfort her while her adopted brother-figure took Korbin down.
Except that Cody could look at Korbin and Fives and know instinctively who would win if the ARC decided to pick a fight. Korbin was clearly engineered from the ARC stock – the practically unaltered Jango Fett line of clone. Fives was still a trooper and his DNA had been altered to reflect that – he was much smaller than the ARC, less muscular and less brutally built. In a hand-to-hand fight, Fives had the upper hand only in speed; the assassin had him on width and weight. And, Korbin had the Force on his side; Cody hoped, for Fives' sake, that he wouldn't do anything too terribly stupid.
"And I'll remind you again, Captain, that you're still breathing," Korbin didn't miss Fives' dangerous posturing; the assassin took a threatening step toward the ARC and Cody could hear everyone hold their breath. "Let me spell it out for you again, since you seemed to have missed it the first time around – I let you escape. I knew you'd lead me straight to Kilia. And in case I didn't make it clear to you – not a single one of you in here can evade Appo's grasp for long without my help."
"If your intentions are so honorable, why all the games in the interrogation chambers? I heard about your nickname – they call you 'Appo's strill'," Fives wouldn't let the issue go; he clenched his fists at his side and Numa whimpered softly as the captain's hand tightened a bit too strongly around hers.
"In case you didn't notice, brother, we're in the middle of a war," Korbin drew himself up to his full height and any hint of the tenderness that he had shown Kil was gone in the wake of his rising ire. "These are brutal times and brutal times call for brutal men. And sometimes," the assassin stepped toward Fives and the ARC finally let go of Numa's hand as he stood his ground stubbornly. "Measured brutality is needed in order to prevent even greater atrocities," there was a slight pause as Korbin took a deep breath and seemed to steady himself; his voice was a little more level as he continued. "You yourself have nothing to fear from me, Captain Fives. In fact, there's only one person in this room who has any reason to worry about me coming after him in the night," the assassin turned his head and for the breadth of a heart-beat, his dark visor focused on Cody. "I only serve justice and only on those who obeyed Order 66."
For one long, grim moment, Korbin's attention shifted from a dumbstruck Fives to a terror-stricken Cody. The assassin's fists tightened slightly around the lightsabers that were hooked onto his belt; the former commander felt his mouth go dry in a mixture of shock and apprehension.
"I noticed that 'Commander' was missing from your introduction," the captain addressed Cody directly; his voice had lowered into an almost feral growl. "But, it's hard not to place you with such distinctive stripes," the assassin waved a hand dismissively at the former commander's patterned armor. "I followed you closely during the War, out of respect, and afterwards, out of vengeance," the darkness in Korbin's tone made even the non-Force sensitives in the room flinch; Cody saw Sheresh lean her body slightly in an opposite direction in silence response to Korbin's vitriol. "I'm frankly shocked to see you in such up-standing company. Makes me wonder how many of them know about your many crimes, sir."
Cody fought the urge to hang his head in shame and it was Saa, yet again, who rallied unfailingly to the fallen commander's cause.
"I watched Cody punish himself night after night in my bar, for six months straight. I've watched him fall in love with a Jedi; I've seen him face down the ghosts of Bellassa; I've heard forgiveness given to him from the man he wronged the most," the older merc folded his arms stalwartly across his chest and lifted his chin in faithful defiance. "The others in here may know of 'Commander Cody' and his subsequent fall from grace. But, I know Cody of Clan Par'jain and you can save your justice, Captain, for a clone who still deserves it."
Something crumbled to the floor in the back corner of the warehouse – Cody glanced behind them and opened the bioscan in his HUD to make sure that they weren't playing host to yet another announced visitor. But, nothing popped up on his screen and he figured that perhaps some duracrete loosened by the blasts had finally given in to gravity. For several moments, the falling rubble was the only thing to break the silence that had followed Saa's protective proclamation of support.
"You have loyal friends, Commander," there was something different about the quality of Korbin's faceless voice, something almost like a grudging respect. "Makes me wonder what you've done to deserve such devotion," the assassin abruptly turned his back to Cody as if to conclude their conversation – but not without first throwing a pointed barb over his shoulder. "But, I base the measure of a man on my own observations; your record with the Empire doesn't speak so highly of you. There comes a day to us all when no one stands besides us – stay out of my way, Commander, when that day comes for you."
The weight of Korbin's threat was not lost on Cody and the former commander realized a truth that he hadn't yet had to face – there would be some brothers who would never forgive him for what he had done. There would be those who forgave freely, like Tay and Obi-Wan. There would be those who forgave grudgingly, like he hoped Fives one day would. But, then there were others...those who had no interest in accepting him for a vastly different man than the one they had known when darkness fell. There would be those who had no interest in anything, except in making Cody pay for the sins of his past.
It wasn't fair...but it was a grim sort of justice in and of itself. Cody stifled a heavy sigh and set his bleak realization aside for the time being. He couldn't change Korbin's opinion any more than he could change the things that he himself had done. The only option available to him at the moment, was to accept what was said and to set his focus on getting out of Cree'dee alive.
Sheresh, apparently, felt the same way – about getting out of the city alive, at least. Her voice was strangely gentle – more gentle than Cody had yet heard that evening, in any event – but her words were enough to spur everyone into action.
"At this point, it doesn't really matter what we all think of each other, or whether or not we truly trust each other. The fact of the matter is, we need to get out of the city and our chances of successful evasion diminish with every minute we spend talking. Captain, you said you'd help us. How?"
"I came into the city with a Kleeque-class transport; it's just two blocks over from this location," Korbin paused and seemed to sense the dubious response his words were gathering. "I timed my arrival while the TIE fighters were still bombing this section of the city. No one would have heard or seen a medium-sized transport vessel over the sound of the explosions – especially not if you were all focused on keeping your heads down and looking for shelter."
He shrugged and the motion conveyed an uncertainty that clashed with the confidence that he had displayed so far. Cody was a little concerned by the shift in mood, but the ARC-class clones were notoriously mercurial. If anything, Korbin seemed surprised that his offer was actually being considered and that it was now being called into question.
"I've never heard of a 'Kleeque-class transport'," Fives – as usual – found something to challenge; Korbin's body language shifted yet again, this time to annoyance.
"They're a new class of medium-sized troop carriers," the assassin couldn't hide the huff in his voice. "A prototype, actually, that the Empire's trying out. It's large enough to hold all of you and," Korbin raised a hand, as if sensing a question. "Before you ask, this one has been assigned specifically to me and has certain specifications to reflect that. I can run you all out of the city to the foothills on silent – the Pro Victoria won't pick us up on a scanner and neither will the TIE fighters."
"Ya' can run silent?" Rowin seemed quite thoroughly impressed; he wiggled his whiskers curiously in Korbin's general direction.
"I'm a clone assassin," the captain's reply was sardonic in its delivery. "'Silent' is kind of expected."
"And Appo trusts you enough that he won't come sniffing along behind you?" Fives had taken Numa's hand again in his, but his body was still taunt, still wired for a reaction.
"The beauty of Appo is his inflated sense of self," Korbin snorted and Cody thought the captain's contempt was rather ironic, considering his own over-abundance of confidence. "He lead the clone assault on the Jedi Temple," the assassin's tone was darkly mocking and for the first time, Cody believed Korbin might actually be the saving help that he had claimed.
There was a visceral hate in the captain's voice – a disregard for rank, for authority. His body language reflected the change in his demeanor clearly as well; Korbin bristled, if only for a moment, his hands clenched and his shoulders squared aggressively.
"So, of course, the Commander believes that he'd be able to spot a traitor from a mile away. He doesn't doubt me – nor will he," Korbin's voice lowered to a deadly pitch and in that instant, Cody didn't think that even Fives doubted the captain's sincerity. "Until he's played right into my hand."
Korbin's intention toward Appo was clear - "until I've killed him." Cody kept his council to himself, but he felt a kinship with Korbin that the other clone couldn't yet know. They were both out for Appo's blood; Cody didn't know all of the assassin's reasons for killing such a high-profile officer, but it didn't really matter to him in the long run. He had heard the malevolence in Korbin's voice at mention of the Temple; as far as Cody was concerned, Appo's infamous contribution to the destruction of the Jedi was enough to bind Korbin and him together in a lethal, if unspoken, pledge.
"Sheresh is right," Cody stifled a groan as he slowly hauled himself to his strangely unsteady feet. "We need to get moving."
He would have said more, but the pain in his torso flared back into life. Except for a heaviness across his chest, Cody had almost forgotten about his injury; sitting in silence had proved a helpful remedy to the agony that he had endured earlier. But, now that he moved, the tightness in his chest twinged again and his side ached in voiceless protest. He wavered a bit on his feet as he tried to take a deep breath and saw bright spots dance drunkenly in the forefront of his vision.
"Can you make it to the transport, vod?" Sheresh demonstrated a remarkable empathy, as she reached out toward Cody and tentatively touched his armored forearm.
He just gritted his jaw and nodded silently. He had no choice, really, and he had persisted in the face of greater injuries in the past. The former commander just tipped his head in acknowledgment of Sheresh's concern and steadied himself for the trek ahead of them.
Saa slipped an arm around Cody's shoulders and nodded grimly at Korbin. The choice had been made and even though he didn't have a spark of Force sensitivity, Cody thought he could almost sense a mixture of anxiety and determination pass between every member of their bootleg crew. Saa's voice broke the heavy silence, though, and urged them all past their own inherent fears, toward a final, decisive action.
"Let's roll."
Cody wasn't sure if he was surprised or not, when Korbin proved true to his word.
The group made it to the assassin's transport, which had indeed been landed two blocks over from their temporary shelter. Everything about Korbin's story – or, as much of it as was known to any of them – checked out. The transport was, in fact, a prototype that Cody had never seen before and it did indeed "run silent"; even the engines had somehow been modified to operate at nothing louder than a throaty purr.
Korbin took the helm, with Sheresh in the navigator's seat beside him; Rowin stood behind her, one paw ready on his blaster. The rest of them sat in the troop hold, on narrow benches that offered little in the way of comfort. Saa sat with his arms folded over his chest and his head down as if he was sleeping – Cody couldn't quite determine if the older merc was in fact catching a quick cat nap, but his seeming nonchalance for what was happening was oddly comforting. Fives was tense and fidgety, but he held Numa on his lap and kept his obvious paranoia to himself – if only for the sake of the youngling in his arms. Kil sat next to them, her side pressed up against Fives as if trying to take comfort from his armored strength – she stared straight ahead, her hands tightly clenched around her knees, and didn't make a single sound. Cody, too, stayed silent and tried not to think too much about everything that had happened that night, about everyone that he had met, or about all the ghosts of his past that had come back to haunt him.
As far as Cody could tell, no one (even the seemingly snoozing Saa) let down their guard, as Korbin flew them toward a destination that those within the hold couldn't see. But, necessity had forced them to make a Devaronian's gamble – to trust a man who was, by all accounts except his own, their enemy. A man who had been sent to hunt them down; man who had orders to turn them all in to the same commander who had slaughtered Jedi younglings.
A part of Cody half-expected to hear blaster shots echo through the main cabin at any moment, as Korbin "neutralized" both Sheresh and her Lepi partner. But, the shots never came; they flew in complete silence – both mechanically and verbally – for about twenty standard minutes. In fact, their landing took the former commander by surprise; later, he would think back and wonder if perhaps he hadn't dozed off for a few minutes in mimic of Saa's own guise.
Everyone (except Saa) jumped a little bit when the door to the main cabin slid open with a soft whoosh. Cody was merely wary of the situation, but it had taken every ounce of desperation for Fives and Kil to bring Numa and themselves on board Korbin's vessel. Their nervous reaction to the door belied their hyper-vigilance and their mute expectation for the figure that stepped through into the troop hold to be a double-dealing Korbin. But, it was only Sheresh, with her exaggerated limp and dark-rimmed eyes.
She had taken off her helmet at some point while flying; the buy'ce was now clipped to her belt and she rubbed a weary hand across her face. The female Mandalorian wavered a bit and she reached down to rub a hand absently along her thigh, as if there was a pain there that she was trying to ease.
"We're here, everyone," the troop cabin was filled with the sound of hastily expelled air, as everyone finally stopped holding their breath; Sheresh rewarded them all with a brief, but brilliant smile, before her face faded back to business. "We're about three clicks from the outpost itself – our helpful host doesn't need to know the exact location."
"I'll find out anyway, just so you know," Korbin's voice drifted past Sheresh's shoulder as his armored bulk squeezed into the doorway behind her.
Cody lifted his head and eyed his brother carefully. The former commander had taken off his helmet during the flight as well, and he had to squint a bit to see anything of Korbin's helmet, since the assassin's broad shoulders were blocking the main cabin light. He couldn't really make out any details, but the set of the other clone's shoulders was non-threatening. If, anything, Korbin's body language was a little "easier", now that they had made it out of Cree'dee.
"I showed you where the Pro Victoria was on the horizon," Korbin lifted his hand and tapped Sheresh on her shoulder; she nodded and turned her head toward him to watch him out of the corner of her eye. "Appo's not far off from Cree'dee – the ground troops should secure the city tonight and he'll have moved the star destroyer in by morning. The first thing he'll do is run bioscans on the foothills, to get a feel for where there's outposts like this one. He'll send scouting parties in by the end of the week."
"Great – so we've been moved from one hopeless situation to another," Fives' voice cracked with exhaustion, but his tone was as mulish as ever.
"Don't underestimate Mandalorians, ad'ika," Saa had cracked open an eye and was staring at Fives with a determination that could match any defiance the ARC might have displayed. "Sol'yc is a galaxy-class sniper and his sons are the same. I'd be surprised if a scouting party ever made it this far under a Kelborn's watchful eye."
"And it would be stupid of Sol'yc and his clan to cause trouble," this time, it was Korbin who snapped, and his authority rang clearly through the cabin. "Leave the scouting parties to me. I'll make sure I'm the one leading any that come up the foothills this way. As long as Sol'yc doesn't kill anyone or make any threatening moves, I can keep keep Appo ignorant of your whereabouts."
"You've made quite a study of this Appo, haven't you?" Saa countered back, his voice dry.
"A lot of lives depend on it," Korbin finally stepped past Sheresh and into the troop cabin.
The assassin stopped in front of Kil; he squatted down in front of her and put a hand on her knee. The captain's gentleness surprised Cody yet again and even Fives seemed a little taken back by the assassin's actions.
"I promised Kil that I would be faithful to the Republic," Korbin's voice had softened as well and he took one of the former Jedi's hands in his own. "I have never killed a Jedi and I can only ask that you'll forgive me for not getting to Kil's side soon enough to save him," the assassin bowed his head; after a long moment, Kil reached up and placed her other hand tenderly on the top of his helmet. "I won't make that same mistake with you, Kilia. You have my word."
Kil said nothing, but she did bend forward and press her lips timidly against the smooth surface of Korbin's stygian helmet. Her lips lingered there for a moment longer than Cody would have expected and she had closed her eyes, as if trying to keep fresh tears at bay. No one made a sound, until Kil leaned back in her seat and Korbin lifted his head. The assassin squeezed the woman's hand and then stood up, his movements effortless.
"Get going, all of you," Korbin's voice was a throaty rasp that Cody would remember for months to come. "Dawn's coming. Don't let the sun catch you running."
"We're almost there," Sheresh called softly behind her, as she lead the struggling group through the snow and the trees.
The foothills were densely populated with dark, thin-needle-leaf, evergreen trees; underneath the thickness of their branches, the sun hadn't yet been able to melt the last of the lingering winter snow. In some places, it was piled as high as Cody's shins; the snow, coupled with exhaustion from the night finally catching up with them, was making everyone was struggle to keep pace with one another.
Because of her leg, Sheresh hadn't set a particularly grueling pace and in another lifetime, when he was younger perhaps, Cody wouldn't have thought twice about a three click hike uphill. But now, every fallen branch was an obstacle of monumental proportions, and every rock beckoned for him to take a moment and catch his breath. The air was thinner in the foothills – much thinner than Cody had grown accustomed to in flat Mydwyth – and he was finding it harder and harder to breath. No one else seemed to be faring much better, except maybe Fives.
The ARC was carrying Numa on his back and didn't seem as affected by the cold, the snow, or the thin air as everyone else. Rowin's whiskers were drooping and the poor Lepi looked like he would have rather faced a whole battalion of storm troopers than another bank of snow. Saa was keeping up gallantly, but Cody could tell by the way the merc drug his foot, that the injury he had sustained on Bellassa was beginning to dampen his morale. Kil walked like a woman in a daze, but the bluish tint of her lips warned the rest that they needed to find warmth – and soon. Sheresh struggled valiantly in the front of the pack, but her limp was unmistakable and her voice was laced with pain.
They had all reached the end of their stamina. The emotional, mental, and physical strain of the nights' events was weighing on them all like ruck-march packs; Cody, especially, was beginning to wonder how many steps he could take before he face-planted permanently into the snowy underbrush. The first blush of sunrise was beginning to glint off of the tops of the trees above them and Korbin's warning echoed eerily through Cody's head -
"Don't let the sun catch you running."
The assassin's dire hint was the only reason Cody managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Agony tightened his chest and pierced his side – he was beginning to wonder if the chunk of duracrete had cracked or broken a rib – but he grit his teeth against the pain and continued to struggle forward.
He would not be the reason that the group didn't make it to safety in time.
"I see smoke!" Rowin's cry cracked a little louder than was expected; the rabbit's voice echoed in the still morning air.
"Shhhhh!" Sheresh hissed, as she turned her head and paused for a moment to fix the Lepi with a glare.
"Look -" Fives started and then stopped; he then stopped literally, his armored feet shrouded in snow.
Cody looked up just in time to see Sheresh whip her head back around to look in front of her...and right into the barrel of an old slug-thrower rifle. As Cody traveled the length of the rifle and the arm that held it, he thought he just might have lost the ability to breath. His eyes grew wide as he peered past Sheresh's shoulder...
Right into a face that was exactly the same as his, and as Fives', and as Korbin's. His jaw dropped and the former commander decided that he was never again going to question the coincidence of the Force.
Sheresh, on the other hand, seemed to take the sudden appearance all in stride.
"Oh, good morning, Ferro," her voice turned chipper, as if she had just run into an old friend. "I told you I'd be back with more!"
A/N: Oh. Thank. The FORCE. T_T You all have absolutely no idea how happy I am to be DONE with the Cree'dee "arc". . I think if it weren't for NaNoWriMo, I'd still be muddling along in the dark with Sheresh, Fives, Saa, and Cody. As it was, having a daily word deadline urged me to get through the thick of this arc...but it still drove me INSANE. I can't even explain why, except that I was over everyone being in Cree'dee about two chapters back. Alas...I still had to introduce all the new characters and give Korbin his due. *sigh* I hope this didn't suck too much...though, honestly, at this point, I'm so over this chapter that I'm just HAPPY IT'S DONE! I didn't even want to go back over and edit it - that's now DONE I am with it. LOL
Any of you writers ever have days/chapters/characters like that? T_T I think some of the antsiness comes from looking forward to what I have planned in our Sol'yc-Outpost arc. :) I'm quite excited to delve back into relationships and family dynamics... I can apparently do suspense, action, and drama...but I'd much rather write about characters and their personal relationships with one another. Unfortunately...focusing solely on characters doesn't do much to move along a plot. *le sigh* Oh, the balancing act of writing...
If anyone wants to know more about Korbin and Kian, make sure to check out "Fidelity" in "Virtues From Another Point of View". Here ends shameless plug. -_^
Many warm thanks and hugs to Codywolf, Admiral Daala, laloga, and LongLiveTheClones. :) I appreciate every reader and every review; it really warms my heart to get such warm support for my humble endeavors. I'm really excited about the upcoming chapters - and yes, all of your questions from the last few chapters, with all of the new character back-stories and dynamics will be answered. I'm looking forward to it and I hope the story keeps all of you coming back for more. This really is a labor of love and it's an honor, as always, to share it with such dedicated readers. :)
Oh! And MAJOR thanks to laloga for letting me borrow her OC clone, Ferro. ^^ I can't give too much of his story in her current projects away, but keep an eye out for him in Eye of the Storm: Alchemy. We've been talking about crossing our time-lines together and having our characters meet up, so she graciously offered Ferro up as the first to span the gap between our separate endeavors. :) Here's to hoping I do Ferro - and laloga's own wonderful characterization - justice. (And if you haven't read any of laloga's stuff - go check it out! She won't disappoint. ^^)
Love it? Like it? Hate it? Lemme know...!