Chapter 8
Solstice took a deep breath as she finished her routine. Her lungs burned with exertion but, in a weird way, it felt good. She only had woken up a couple of weeks ago, having recovering from a virus that was native to the planet. It had taken three weeks to rebuild her stamina, and another two to build her strength from there. Carter stopped by on occasion, but the former Jedi wanted some space after knowing that she had almost been bathed in ice cold water. Granted it was to get her fever down, but still! She didn't know the whole deal involving the ice-cold bath but she felt that was something that she didn't need to know. Of course, she was pretty hopeful that the woman in the Kommadant's office was going to be doing the bath.
There was a knock on her door as she placed a punch to the dummy the Kommadant was so grateful to install. She wiped her brow as she stood straighter and made her way to the door. The woman hoped it wasn't anyone important. Thankfully, it was only Schultz. The large guard smiled largely and warmly at her standing at the doorway, though his eyes went wide at the sight of sweat on her forehead.
"Fraulein Winters, are you getting sick again?" He whispered worriedly.
Solstice shook her head as she wiped her forehead. "Oh no. I was just working out. Is there something you need, Schultz?"
"Oh of course." The large guard sighed. "Kommadant Klink wishes to see you in his office now."
"I'll be there in a minute. Let me go and clean up a little bit." Schultz nodded and left, leaving the former Jedi Padawan to hurriedly rush to clean the sweat off her brow. She wrapped herself in her old robe before exiting the relatively warm cabin and into the cold air. The woman shivered violently, racing towards the Kommadant's office. It wasn't snowing, but it was still freezing. Though a relatively big fan of cold weather, she wasn't a big of fan of long periods of cold.
"Hello Hilda," she greeted, once she stepped foot into the offices. The blonde-haired secretary gave a nod while she stamped the snow off her boots, which weren't really doing so well in this cold. "I'm here to see the Kommadant."
"Go right on in," she ordered in her heavily-accented voice. "They are waiting for you."
Solstice nodded and plastered on a smile, but on the inside, she was panicking. Who were 'they'? Was it the Gestapo or General Burkhalter? Her heart was pounding so loud, she was afraid it might've been heard all the way to the Rishi moon. Solstice casually slipped her hand into the pockets of her robe, where her blaster sat. Her hand wrapped around the hilt, expertly disengaging the safety with only one hand. If General Body Rolls did indeed come back for her, then she would have to fight her way out of the camp.
Though she suspected that if she did that, she would ultimately perish. But she would rather go out fighting then go quietly.
Heart still going a million miles an hour, the former Padawan slowly opened the door, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she only spotted Colonel Hogan and Kommadant Klink. The two males were practically staring each other down from opposite sides of the desk. Solstice reengaged the safety on her weapon, her hand sliding back out of her pocket when she was done. Her aquamarine eyes scanned the small office, searching for anything that might've resembled an ambush but nothing stood out.
So, it's just a regular meeting, the bounty hunter thought as she attempted to get her heart rate under control. Out loud she announced, "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes." The man confirmed. Even when the Gestapo weren't there, his voice still sounded very shaky. Solstice supposed that's what happens when you work for a tyrannical government that was trying to take over the world and just about anyone could be your enemy. The Kommadant gestured to an empty chair, right next to Hogan. "Sit down, my dear."
Solstice nodded as she obeyed without a word. Hogan gave her that analytical gaze that he had been giving her since she woke up. Her guess is that she was too deep in her fever-induced dreams to realize that she was probably dreaming and/or talking about her life as a Jedi Padawan, including the massacre. It could be why Carter had been coming by more frequently, despite Solstice's thoughts on him being a gentleman and just making sure that she was okay. Though never in her life, Solstice would ever tell these people her past.
"Is there something you need, Kommadant?"
"We have several important guests coming over to visit the Stalag." He started to ramble. Solstice and Hogan both raised their eyebrow simultaneously, not sure where he was going with this. The brunette bounty hunter tensed, ready to run if he announced that the Gestapo was coming for her. But he didn't. Instead he said, "Accompanying General Burkhalter, is Doctor Kandar Serth. I do not want any trouble."
"What will we get in return?" Hogan asked. Solstice recognized that tone as something used in a bargaining way.
"What do you mean?" Klink asked.
"If we behave and not cause any trouble, we want an hour of extra light and two more weeks with hot water." Hogan bargained.
Klink's face scrunched up in annoyance. Solstice could see him trying physically to keep from shouting at the American. But the old man was able to speak without shouting, "Hogan, you are a prisoner of war, which means, that you are in no position to make demands."
But the silver-tongued colonel didn't miss a beat. "Are you sure about that? Because I know several people in town that will be willing to lend their showers to a couple of POWs."
"How do you know…." Klink started, but cut himself off. Solstice cocked her eyebrow. This man would have never survived the Separatist or Imperial regime. "I don't want to know. Okay, Hogan, I am willing to meet you halfway. An extra half hour with lights and one more week with hot water. But, if any of your men step one foot out of line, the offer is off the table and the punishment will be severe."
Hogan considered it, but she already knew that, in his mind, he had accepted the offer. His smile a moment later confirmed it. Klink then went into a spiel about how everyone should be on their best behavior and how the barracks were to look spotless. Solstice found that she had been called because she would be attending dinner with the Kommadant, General Burkhalter and Doctor Serth. The brunette bounty hunter groaned rather loudly, eliciting her annoyance.
"Why me?" she demanded. The former Jedi didn't want to attend another stupid, kriffing dinner party.
"Because my dear, I just assumed-" Klink started but Solstice was on the war path
"You don't assume anything, Kommadant!" She shouted, pointing a finger at the old man, who winced as though he was about to be hit. "If this invitation to the dinner party is just an excuse to make sure I won't escape, then you are sorely mistaken, Kommadant. I will literally shoot myself with General Burkhalter's gun if I have to wear ONE MORE KRIFFING DRESS!"
Solstice slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide. Hogan, despite looking calm in outward appearance, suddenly had this panicked look in his eyes. Only too late did the bounty hunter realized that she might've almost spilled the beans on Hogan's operation. Klink, as oblivious as he was, seemed to notice something was off between the two.
"Hogan…. what is she talking about?" Klink wondered. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, before asking, "And why are you looking at each other like that?"
The brunette-haired bounty hunter finally schooled her expression. "Nothing. Anyway, I am not going to do a fancy dinner party with a sleazy, old, creepy doctor for the sake of anything. I don't care if you threaten me with death or imprisonment with the Gestapo and General Burkhalter. I refuse to partake in anything that has me wear a dress."
"Well, if you don't do this then Hogan's men don't get their electricity."
Hogan glared at the Kommadant while Solstice growled, "Oh, you dirty bastard."
Before the scrawny man could retort, the door opened and Schultz entered. The large guard's eyes were wide as he scanned the room.
"Kommadant, there's something that needs your immediate attention." He stage-whispered.
"And what, exactly is that Schultz?" Klink demanded, annoyed. The sergeant leaned over and whispered in the old man's ear. Hogan and Solstice glanced at each other in question, their curiosity piquing when the Kommadant's eyebrows went up and he gasped in shock.
"What? Are you sure?" The man asked.
"Ja, Herr Kommadant." Schultz answered with a slow nod. Klink turned his attention to the two prisoners, his monocle teetering precariously on between his eye and cheek.
"I will give you two hours to decide, Solstice." He declared. "If you refuse this offer, all of the other offers are off the table, Hogan. So, I suggest you decide soon. Now, get out of my office."
The two were ushered out of the office. They noticed that the prisoner truck was outside Klink's office. Solstice froze when she felt the Force coming from the truck but was pushed forward by Hogan. There was sense of urgency in the pilot's body language, something that Solstice noticed immediately. She suspected that he wanted to listen in on the conversation that would no doubt supply the Underground with new information. And maybe the man wanted to talk to her about the deal Klink put on the table.
With as much purpose as they could, the two brunette prisoners strolled towards Barracks 2. As soon as they entered the barracks, Hogan's men almost immediately took the hint and made their way towards Hogan's office. Kinchloe turned on the coffee pot, and the group silently listened. Solstice narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward, trying to concentrate on the familiarity of the voices that pierced the static of the speaker.
-Line break-
Klink stared at the group before him. A young boy with dark blue hair, a twenty-something year old man with brown hair tied back in a ponytail and an old man with a bald head and white beard. All wore clothes that marked them as civilians but it was no surprise that they were caught because they didn't speak a lick of German. Of course, the man just sighed tiredly because the German high-brass had decided to give them to him.
He could feel the hairs getting greyer.
"So, who are you?" The old man at the desk questioned. None of them answered, instead looking around in different places. Klink sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in hopes to quell the headache that was starting to rear its ugly head. "You don't want to answer the question? Then, you can each figure out who's gonna be the one to talk. Schultz, take them to the cooler. And make sure to place them in separate cells this time."
"Jawohl, Herr Kommadant." Schultz saluted before he ordered the three to move out of the office at gunpoint.
Ezra grunted in annoyance when the large guard tossed him in the cell. The young boy sighed as he started to pace. There was nothing that he hated more than being unable to do anything, like escape this cell. He cursed this half-brained plan to save the ally of the Rebellion. White Eagle was someone that helped the Rebellion more than anyone in the other cells. She managed to cause more chaos for the Empire and managed to steal as many plans that were helpful for the Rebellion than the Ghost crew ever did during Ezra's early years with the crew.
After what seemed like hours, but probably was only minutes, Ezra sat down on the filthy floor, his feet aching from the pacing. The Force-Sensitive boy rubbed his head tiredly. Why didn't he think this part of the plan through? He, Kanan and Rex had hidden the ship, along with Bonga, after landing a couple of days ago. The three humans managed to find disguises and blend in with the local population, trying to search the area for the bounty hunter. The only problem with that was because neither human spoke the local language.
It was only after day three of searching for White Eagle, did they get picked up by the local military. They went through several channels of interrogation but refused to break. Even though they didn't know what the local military was talking about. Ezra sighed as he started to count the minutes as they ticked by slowly.
Almost before he was about to go crazy, the boy heard something shift near him. The blue-haired Lothal native glanced up and saw one of the floor tiles move. He blinked as it moved more, shifting a bit before a head appeared. It was an older man with black hair, blue clothes and eyes. The man glanced around, smiling manically when he spotted the young boy staring at him curiously.
"Ello there." The man greeted.
"Uh, hi?" Ezra greeted back.
"Lookin' a lit'le uncomfortable, eh lad?" The man asked. Ezra nodded, unsure if he heard him right. "Why don' you follow me, then? I'll take ya to ya mates."
The man's head disappeared. The blue-haired boy hesitated a moment before following him. He had to make sure that his lightsaber (which the guards stupidly didn't take) was there before leaping into the hole, making sure that the hatch was placed back. It took him a while to find the man, seeing how the tunnel was engulfed in darkness, but soon enough the orange-clad boy followed the older man. Ezra blinked in surprise when he entered the lighted area of the corridor. He sighed in relief when he spotted Kanan and Rex, talking to a brown-haired man in a dark brown leather jacket.
"Kanan! Rex!" he shouted in happiness. The two men turned, the brown-haired man smiling slightly when he spotted the boy. The boy all but tackled the man in a hug.
"Okay, I need air!" Kanan wheezed. Ezra sheepishly released his hold on the brunet man and turned towards the other brunet man with the brown jacket. He was studying the three of them closely, and Ezra could see the gears turn through his dark brown eyes.
"Go and get you know who." He whispered to a skinny blond guy that looked barely out of his teens. The blond dude nodded before scurrying off. The three rebels glanced at each other worriedly as the man turned back towards them.
"Alright. The name's Colonel Robert E. Hogan. I'm in charge of this little operation."
"Little?" Ezra questioned, his eyes roaming the network of tunnels. "This is…. amazing."
"Thanks kid." Colonel Hogan said, crossing his arms. They sat there in silence until the blond guy returned with a woman who had dark brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. She wore dark purple Mandalorian armor that had orange accents. The woman strode in with such swagger, Ezra would've mistaken her for the leader of the operation. Attached to her belt, she had a very powerful looking blaster and something that looked like a metal cylinder. Ezra narrowed his electric blue eyes. The armor and the design looked very familiar. But for the life of him, the young Force-Sensitive couldn't remember where he saw it.
"Ah, welcome to the meeting." Hogan greeted.
"What did I miss?" The woman questioned as she strolled over and sat down next to a dark-skinned man who was fiddling with a primitive radio set. She scrutinized the three rebels in front of her, as if she recognized them.
"We were just getting introductions out of the way." Hogan answered, turning towards the rebels.
"Ezra Bridger." The young boy answered.
"Kanan Jarrus." The brunet man chimed in.
"Captain Rex, at your service." The clone added. At the last one, the woman tensed and stood slowly. Then, in a blink of an eye, the woman unsheathed her blaster and had it pointed it at Rex, placing herself in between Hogan and the rebels. Ezra and Kanan, in response to the sudden show of force, had their lightsabers ignited, pointed at the woman's throat. That sparked a reaction from Hogan and his men. They all had primitive blasters, smaller and probably less powerful, pointed at them. Rex was the only one who didn't have a weapon out, and strangely, he didn't look the least bit worried. Instead, he looked sad.
"Step aside, Commander Dume." The woman ordered softly, not lowering her blaster. The way the woman ordered, the tenseness of her shoulders sparked the memory in Ezra's mind. He finally recognized the woman.
"Wait!" the former street rat of Lothal shouted. Despite the order, no one lowered their weapons. "White Eagle?"
"Specter 5." The rogue bounty hunter greeted sharply. "I won't ask again, Jarrus. Step aside."
"You know I can't do that."
"And why not?" White Eagle questioned. With a jerk of her head, she continued, "That man is a clone. He's a traitor to the Republic. His kind massacred our people, Kanan."
"Not him." Ezra defended. "They were all controlled by a chip. They had no choice."
"Of course, they had a choice!" White Eagle shouted. Tears started to form in her eyes and her voice quivered, but her hand never shook. It was trained on Rex's heart. "I saw them mow down Padawans, and Younglings. Children, Ezra, children. Some were barely old enough to understand what was going on. And they died. In fear, in pain and feeling betrayed. And his kind," she tensed, pointing the blaster at Rex, "are responsible for it."
Rex finally spoke, "You're Jai-Kar's Padawan aren't you?"
"I don't see why that's any of your business." White Eagle whispered.
"I fought with General Jai-Kar at the Second Battle of Christophsis." Rex softly informed her. "He was a strong Jedi."
"He didn't go down easily." A tear fell from her eye, streaking down her face. "He made sure to take a good number of you down with him. I promised myself that I would never forgive your kind and that if I came across any leftover soldiers, that I would not give you the mercy you never showed my kind."
Hogan and his men slowly sheathed their weapons. Ezra did the same, deactivating his saber and stepping aside. Kanan however didn't back down. It was amazing how the brunet Jedi and the former clone captain had grown over the course of a year and a half. But White Eagle had the same hatred for clones that Kanan had before they met Rex, Gregor and Wolfe. That was when he learned that time didn't heal old wounds, they only scarred over.
And White Eagle's wounds had just been reopened.
"Why don't we just talk about this?" a small man with a red shirt questioned. He had an accent similar to the Twi'leks. Maybe he was raised by Twi'leks.
"Solstice, I order you lower your weapons." Hogan ordered, pulling rank. His men were quiet as they watched the woman carefully. She kept it raised for one more, heart-stopping minute before lowering it.
"I'll be up in my barracks." Solstice announced sharply as she turned down tunnel. Ezra saw her whisper something to Hogan before disappearing down the tunnel, the blond, skinny guy following her.
"Well," The black-haired, blue-clothed guy spoke lighting something that looked like a death stick. "Tha' was interestin."
Kanan sighed as he deactivated his lightsaber, hooking it onto his belt. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if to stave off a headache.
"What was that about?" The dark-skinned guy asked as he leaned back in his chair.
"It's my fault." The old man admitted. "I used to be a captain in the army that massacred the peacekeeping group. Kanan here had the same reaction but he eventually came around."
Hogan sighed. "Well, we've got to go. Roll call's in a few hours. Unfortunately, that means you three'll have to go back into the cooler."
Ezra groaned but followed the man he followed earlier. The two tried to have a conversation. The young boy learned that he was Peter Newkirk, who belonged to the Royal Air Force, whatever that was. Ezra didn't give anything else but his name. The two continued the walk in silence, before coming to the ladder.
"Well, this is my stop." Ezra quipped, as he started to climb the ladder. "Thanks, by the way."
"No problem, lad." Newkirk assured him with a pat on his back. As soon as the tile was replaced, the British man bolted towards his barracks.
All throughout roll call, he noticed that Solstice wasn't all there. She had this scowl on her face, as if she was remembering something from her past. The RAF pilot glanced towards his mates, seeing if they had noticed her uneasiness and sudden hostility. They did. Once Roll call was over a few minutes later (it felt more like hours to Newkirk, standing out in that bloody cold), the man watched Carter immediately make a dive for the underground tunnel. Perhaps the youngest of them would be able to figure out what was going on with their mysterious teammate. Hopefully, the young woman wasn't in too much of a mood to talk.
Unfortunately, Solstice was definitely in a mood.
When Carter entered her barracks, he found her beating on the dummy ruthlessly. Stuffing flew as she impaled a knife hilt-deep into the cloth. The brunette woman growled as she yanked it out, kicking it and doing a flip as well. While the agility and strength would've at one point been admired by Carter, now, he was just slightly frightened. He let the woman get all her anger out before he spoke to her.
"Bad day?"
She glanced towards him, that anger barely contained underneath those aquamarine eyes. "Of all the people that the Rebellion could've sent, it had to be that loathsome being. They could've sent Hondo, or Lando. Hell, Lando is a better alternative to a clone."
She groaned, plopping face down on her bed. Carter gently sat down on the edge of the bed, watching the woman carefully. They were plunged into silence before he asked hesitantly, "Wanna talk about it?"
Slowly, ever so slowly, Solstice picked her head up and turned to look at him. He gasped silently. The angle of her head had caught the light, making her aquamarine eyes look like they were teal instead. And they were absolutely breathtaking. He managed to memorize that look before the woman on the bed rolled over on her back and stared at him face on. She was pouting, but not in a hysterical way, but in a fearful way. Her eyes glanced over at the door and the floors, as if expecting someone to come through and start to fire blindly. Suddenly, a realization came to Carter.
"It was that old dude, wasn't it?" He asked. The way Solstice tensed, he assumed he guessed right. Gently, Carter started to stroke her hair. "Tell me what happened. Please."
And so, she did.
-Line break-
Solstice Winters and Master Jai'Kar strolled up to the entrance of the Jedi Temple. The night stretched behind them, the light from the inside of the temple beating it back. Behind the two, Fox and a couple of other clone soldiers from their division respectfully waited for Jai'Kar. He was headed to the Senate Building. The Ikototch had a bad feeling when Master Windu didn't answer his transmissions, so with a couple of troops, he was going to investigate.
Solstice on the other hand just wanted to go to bed. Though tired, she could feel happiness run through her. The war was finally over! After years of bloodshed and sorrow, Solstice looked forward to living the rest of her life in peace. Unfortunately, that brought up the question of what would happen to the clone soldiers. Was Chancellor Palpatine going to decommission them, or keep them in as a standing army, in case another galactic conflict broke out?
Her master placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, sensing her turmoil. "It's going to be okay. I'll see to it that all the clones get the respect and honor they deserve."
Solstice smiled slightly, before waving at her friends. "See ya around, Fox!"
The grey-clad lieutenant just gave a two-fingered salute from where he was standing. The clones weren't really allowed in the temple for some reason, so they waited respectfully for her master. That is, until Fox brought his hand to his helmet, almost as if he was receiving a transmission. Then, he went utterly rigid, as did the others. Solstice noticed this, as she was still staring at them. Her master saw her face and turned, his brow cocking at the tenseness of his men's shoulders. The two Jedi didn't know who he was talking to, nor did they hear what the person said to him.
All they heard was his response: "As you wish, My Lord."
Solstice then felt. The Dark Side of the Force suddenly engulfed the two in its chilly arms as the three soldiers turned around. The two Jedi barely had time to unhook their lightsabers from their belts and ignite them before the clones opened fire. Like so many times during the war, they fought, each like a component in a machine. Their movements were fluid and flawless, quick and graceful. Several times, Solstice shouted over the laser fire, trying to get through to her men. But for some reason, they didn't listen.
"Solstice, I need you to go," Jai'Kar ordered suddenly. The human teen just stared up at her master with disbelief.
"I am not leaving you." She announced. Then, that's when she heard it. The marching of hundreds of other clone soldiers, all led by one figure clothed in darkness and a cloak. With much regret, Solstice plunged her saber into the belly of Fox, watching it sear through his armor before removing it and letting the clone soldier fall away.
"I'm going to hold off this attack while you go and warn the others." He said. Solstice knew that he wouldn't be able to hold off that many clone soldiers at once. But he placed a hand on her shoulder as he (lied) reassuringly, "I'll be right behind you."
After a moment's hesitation, Solstice nodded before she dashed back into the temple, sounding the alarm to anyone that past. She was halfway through the temple when blaster sounds reached her ears. Not knowing where she was going exactly, or what her plan was, Solstice ran through every room and corridor she could find, hoping to find some Padawans, Younglings or Knights. With a couple of younger Padawans, she corralled some of the Younglings into the Council Room, know that was the safest place for them to be. One of the kids looked up with his big blue eyes, his blond hair ruffled as well as his grey tunic.
"Don't worry," she assured him, "Nothing's going to happen. I'll be back when the coast is clear." She turned to the younger Padawans. "Keep them safe. I'll go and clear a path for you to get to the hanger."
"Thank you."
Unfortunately, as Solstice jumped back into the fray, she realized that wasn't going to be easy. Clone soldiers prowled every area, every corridor, leaving the corpses of her friends and other younglings and Padawans in their wake. Anger coursed through her. She barely even registered igniting her saber and charging at the clones. The teen managed to get at least twenty down before they boxed her in and pushed her towards the library. Like a predator forcing its prey to box itself in, waiting for the kill.
Solstice shut the doors behind her, making sure they were locked, but she doubted that would hold long. She jumped out of her skin when a bony hand was laid on her shoulder, only to have her come face to face with a grim looking Jocasta Nu. The teen quickly explained the situation to the old keeper of the archives, only to have it silenced with hand in the air.
"Follow me." The old woman ordered. Solstice quickly followed. Her senses were on high alert, adrenaline making her body go rigid with fear, anxiety and panic. What was happening? She didn't realize she had spoken out loud until the old woman spoke.
"The Order is being destroyed," she informed her. "I received word from Master Kenobi and several other masters before communications were severed. The clones have turned on us and Palpatine is taking over."
"What's going to happen to us?"
"Those that escape the slaughter will live in fear, and most likely be hunted down." Jocasta's words had Solstice shaking in fear, like a leaf at the end of a harvest season, desperately hanging on to a branch. Desperately hanging on to life. She was silent as Madame Jocasta moved a section of the wall to reveal air ducts. Dry wind blew into her face.
"This will take you down to the hanger." Jocasta informed her, stiffly moving out of the way. Solstice peered into the darkness.
"What about you? Aren't you coming?"
Jocasta only shook her head. "My time in this plane is short. Might as well going out in a blaze of glory. Oh, before you go."
Banging at the door had started as Madame Jocasta came back, a holocron clutched in her hand. Solstice immediately started to refuse, but the old Archive keeper wasn't having any of it.
"Take this." She ordered, this time pulling the rank she rarely used. "The information that are in the holocrons must not fall into the hands of the Sith!"
"I…." Solstice couldn't say anything, fear clogged her throat and clouded her mind. Finally, she bowed her head in submission before turning and plunging into the airduct. The shaft of light disappeared. Solstice could still hear the sounds of Madame Jocasta Nu crying out in pain as blasters ripped her apart.
The Temple Hanger was mostly empty, save for Master Ti directing a few remaining Jedi to their ships. Solstice hopped into hers and started it up, flying towards the stars as Coruscant faded into the distance. The Temple was on fire as she leapt into hyperspace.
Only then, as the fear and panic ebbed away into grief and sorrow did she suddenly remember those younglings left in the Council room. Then, suddenly, it felt as though her very soul was being pulled out of her.
They were no more.