Credits To:
Moments Chapters 28 and 35 by klcutting
With Fennec Shand
It was a warm day at the Bora Vio cloning facility as Fennec Shand approached. It was late morning, and the light source of the facility came from Bora Vio's star. There were no sounds as Fennec landed, except her ship. As she exited, the eerie silence was deafening. She could smell and taste the dust and decay of the place she had fought Cad Bane months ago over Omega. The ground was hard and rough, perfect for the Kaminoans. Fennec noticed the paint on the walls, but it didn't seem that way due to the Kaminoans mainly seeing in the Ultraviolet.
"Never thought I'd return here," Fennec Shand thought to herself as she entered the facility where she'd gone previously to stop Cad Bane from handing Omega over to Taun We.
After she killed Taun We, the fight between her and Cad Bane took two weeks for Fennec to recover. She'd almost failed Nala Se's mission. Cad Bane had been about a second away from killing Omega when she knocked his blaster out of his hand.
She was looking for information about the Banished Kaminoan, Kuan Si, whom she had heard about from the Boss.
She tracked her way towards the area with those cylinders, one of which, she remembered, Omega had dropped on her when trying to get away. It took almost as long to get the slime out of her suit.
"Though the city itself is underwater, maybe I can get into the computer systems and see what I can find," Fennec thought to herself as she put a USB Stick-like device into one of the ports.
After a few moments, she found that the information stored on the computers was still intact, although searching through it, some files were unusable.
"Alright. Let's start with information on Kuan Si," Fennec stated as she worked. Trawling through the files, she soon found a file on banished Kaminoans.
"I haven't been able to find anything on Kuan Si in the usual files, so he must have been banished at some point," Fennec thought to herself as she checked the files.
"Boom," Fennec stated as she found the files.
"I'm going to have to explore this in my own time. There's so much to look at," Fennec admitted as she downloaded all the data related to him. While she did that, she started researching Omega.
After a few minutes, she found more files to transfer to her data drive.
Suddenly, she heard familiar footsteps and voices. Clones.
"Stand down, Bounty hunter. We have you surrounded," came the voice of a Clone. Having just downloaded the data on Kuan Si and Omega, Fennec turned around and found herself face to face with a Commander Clone.
One she recognised in a second.
"Commander Cody. What brings you out here?" Fennec asked coolly.
The Clone replied, "How did you know it was me?"
"There's a specific note to your voice that no other Clone has,"' Fennec stated. Cody sighed, then said, "What brings a bounty hunter like you out here?"
"I could ask the same of you," Fennec stated back.
Cody snapped, "No time for games, bounty hunter. Why are you here?"
"The same reason you are, probably," Fennec replied, not intimidated by the blaster pointed at her face. Cody coolly replied, "Information about the banished Kaminoan, Kuan Si,"
"See? I told you we were after the same information," Fennec replied before she suddenly grabbed Cody's blaster, ducked around its shot, and struck Cody in the Liver, causing him to cry out in pain.
The blaster round destroyed the monitor, and Cody kicked Fennec, knocking her to the ground. Fennec leapt back to her feet and kicked Cody's blaster away before they swung fists and kicks at each other while trying to block the other's moves, matching each other move for move. Eventually, Fennec got the upper hand.
"Stun her," Cody commanded, and the other Clones opened fire on Fennec, who avoided the stuns with some spectacular moves.
She stopped a smoke bomb to slow the Clones down and ran for it.
"We can't let her get away. Secure the perimeter," Cody commanded, and the Clones spread out across the facility while Cody and another trooper ran through the smoke to pursue Fennec.
Fennec managed to get much of the way around the facility before she saw Clones approaching on both sides. Looking around, she found several ladders to the landing platform several hundred meters below.
Running for them, she sent stun bolts at the Clones every chance she got and dodged their stunners in response.
Just as she reached one, Cody shot it away.
"Dang it," Fennec thought to herself. She decided to tie a grappling hook to the edge and fire the other end at the platform. She then rose it like a Zipline, dodging more stunners as she went.
Finally, she landed on the platform, and after she pressed a few buttons on her wristwatch, her ship flew out from its original spot and raced towards the platform.
"You have nowhere to run to Fennec. Hand over the information about Kuan Si," Cody stated with his blaster back, pointing it at Fennec as troopers jetpacked towards the platform.
Fennec slowly backed up, both blasters trained on the Clones, and stated, "If you hadn't blasted the monitor, you'd have access to the same information that I got,"
"Hand. It. Over'' Cody stated. Suddenly, Fennec's ship appeared.
"Stop her!" Cody commanded, and the troopers opened fire as Fennec dashed for her ship. She leapt and barely got into the craft as one of the stuns hit her legs.
The Clones fired on the ship as Fennec dragged herself to the controls and flew away from the facility.
"Get to your ships and stop her," Cody called.
Fennec, however, recovered the use of her legs. She got to the cockpit and guided her ship off-world and into hyperspace.
"Damn it" Cody yelled as she flashed away. He turned to the other Clones, "Anyone here got a projector?"
"Yes, Commander. Why?" A clone enquired.
Cody stated, "Maybe we can recover the files on Kuan Si. But we need a projector to see what we're doing,"
"Alright, Commander," the Clone replied, and they flew back towards the facility.
Soon, they had the data they needed.
"Let's get this back to Rampart. We now know where the Rogue Kaminoan Kuan Si is," Cody stated.
The other Clone nodded, and they exited the facility.
With Clone Force 99
As Clone Force 99 enter Cid's parlour in the early morning, they discover it's empty. It's also mild, with no lights on except for the glow of the holo table. Hunter could smell and taste the remains of the previous night's party dominated by alcohol and spice. The ground is rougher than usual, and Hunter can see Skirata waiting for them.
"Hey, there," Skirata called, waving to them as they arrived. The Batch returned the wave.
Hunter asked, "So what's the mission?"
"From what I've heard, Nala Se isn't cooperating. So, they're hunting Kuan Si, hoping to use him as leverage," Skirata stated. The Batch looked at each other, and Tech enquired, "Wasn't Kuan Si,"
"Banished? Yes. But the Empire doesn't know that. I'm hoping you guys would be OK with joining my squad to get him out of the planet he's residing on and into our safe hands," Skirata interrupted.
Tech stated, "Where in the Unknown regions is Kuan Si?"
Skirata then projects the star system they're travelling to on the holo table.
"Astorloth. A tiny Red Dwarf in the Unknown Regions. One of the planets around it is called Alzekan. That's where we hid him, and that's where we're going," Skirata stated,
Tech nodded, "It seems relatively close to Yaga Minor, and the disturbances of the Unknown Regions aren't as bad,"
"That is true, Tech. It has another advantage, however," Skirata replied.
Hunter asked, "What is it?"
"We can go straight between the two worlds through a secret Hyperspace lane. So, we'll have a big advantage," Skirata stated.
"What's in it for us?" Echo enquired.
Skirata admitted, "A huge payday. Kuan Si's filthy rich, though he obtained much of his wealth questionably. I'm sure he'd be willing to pay Cid, and you guys, for rescuing him,"
"I'm all for it," Cid stated from nearby.
Hunter nodded, "Alright. We're in."
"Awesome. Oh, by the way, Omega. How long has she been wearing the armour?" Skirata asked.
Omega replied, "Three months".
"Alright. The gravity's considerably stronger, but you should be able to manage," Skirata replied.
"How much stronger?" Tech stated.
Skirata responded, "25%,"
"That's quite a bit for me. I'm still kinda small for my age, and the armour's still heavy on me," Omega admitted. Hunter turned to face her, "You'll be OK, ad'ika. Just take it easy and carefully, alright?"
"Alright," Omega replied, nodding. He turned to Skirata, "We'll meet you on Yaga Minor. We've got a quick supply run to do first."
"That's fine by me. Just be quick. Good luck," Skirata stated, bowing to them before departing.
"Tech, Echo, you two know where to go best. We'll meet you at the ship," Hunter said.
Tech stated, "Understood," before departing with Echo. Hunter then turned to Omega, who seemed a bit nervous.
"Everything OK?" Hunter asked, kneeling to her level and placing a hand on her shoulder. After a few moments, Omega replied, "I'll be OK, I think. I haven't seen Kuan Si in years, so I don't know how he'll react to seeing me again," Omega admitted.
Hunter replied, "I understand. I'm sure he'll still recognise you though you are unique among clones", which got a chuckle out of Omega.
"That's true," Omega replied as they departed for the ship.
Once Tech and Echo returned with the supplies, the Batch left for Yaga Minor.
Soon, they arrive and find Skirata's ship hailing them.
"Hey there," Hunter said.
Skirata replied, "Good to see you made it. Now, it's time to set off. Alzekan is a less extreme version of Kamino, so there are a couple of islands on the planet. It's one of those that Kuan Si's living. I'll be able to recognise it from orbit, so you won't have to fly around uselessly to find it," Skirata mentioned.
The CR90 that the Nulls are using hummed as they made their way towards Alzekan. It was mild inside, with lights in the ceiling providing most of the illumination. The ship was coloured mostly off-white inside, though red lights ran around the craft. Hunter could smell and taste the nerves from everyone, especially Omega, which added to the ship's metal. The ship's solid on his boots, though with dust crunching under.
On the way, it was then that Hunter noticed that Omega was unusually quiet and looked tense. Hunter knew that Omega was, for the most part, good at keeping the mask on, so to speak, especially on missions. However, on this mission, it had partially slipped. The fear emanating from Omega was apparent to Hunter. He knew that Omega was struggling with her emotions. Echo patted her on the back, which calmed her a bit. It also seemed to calm Echo, which unsurprised and relieved Hunter. These interested Skirata and a couple of his Clones.
"Is Omega OK?" Jaing asked.
Hunter replied, "She's a bit scared. Considering the planet's similar in description to Kamino, I don't blame her,"
"Understandable. Trust me though, Omega, we're not going underwater or into any medical labs," Jaing replied, smiling at her, which, though you couldn't see due to the helmet, she managed to return.
Soon, they arrived at Alzekan and saw the planet illuminated an eerie red by the tiny star it orbited.
"I didn't think life was possible around a Red Dwarf star," Hunter admitted.
Tech stated, "Theoretically, it's possible. There are several complicating factors for such a small star, but it doesn't rule out the potential for life,"
"Thanks for the astrobiology lesson, Tech. Now, we've got to find a shield-shaped island with a big peak at its centre. That's the island where Kuan Si resides," Skirata stated.
The Batch nodded and started searching for the island.
"Good news, we're here on time. Bad news, the Empire's closer than I anticipated. We're going to have to head directly to the surface to give us the best chance of rescuing Kuan Si," A'den said.
Tech stated, "Strap in," and everyone did as they hit the planet's atmosphere.
With the Empire,
Just as they reach the surface, the Empire arrives with Venator class Star Destroyers, 2 CR-90 Corvettes and 2 Tartan Patrol Cruisers.
"It seems we have been beaten to the surface by the Clones, sir," one of the troopers stated.
Admiral Rampart replied, "Unfortunate, but we can work around it. Send a legion of Stormtroopers to the surface. We can't let them capture Kuan Si,"
"Sir, yes, sir," the Clone replied and departed to inform the others.
Soon, several transport ships were flying through the atmosphere of Alzekan, and after a few minutes, they landed on the opposite side of the island.
"Ready to go," one of the troopers stated.
The Officer replied, "Very good. Now, let's send a couple of Probe Droids to find out what we're up against,"
"Alright, sir," the Clone replied and sent out two Probe Droids to scout the area.
Back to the squad,
Skirata, seeing Omega still looking scared, approached her.
"Hey there," Skirata smiled as he kneeled at Omega's level
"I understand how you're feeling. I felt similar when I first ran into Kuan Si. I've also endured a stint of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of the Kaminoans. So I can empathise. But I can assure you, Kuan Si isn't like the other Kaminoans. It's part of the."
"The reason he was banished, I know. I was there. I can't help being nervous, especially with what the Kaminoans did to me," Omega interrupted, and Skirata nodded.
"If you need anyone to talk to, you can talk to me if you want," Skirata said, but Echo interrupted with, "Your offer is kind, but usually when anything related to her trauma comes up, she goes to me. Nothing against you, just how it is,"
Skirata turned to face Echo and nodded, "I understand. I just wanted to reassure Omega, that's all,"
Echo nods and manages a small smile before offering her hand to Omega. Instead of taking his hand, she leans against him, evidently seeking reassurance, which Echo is all too happy to give, which seems to calm Omega down and allow her to focus more.
"Ready to go?" Skirata asked.
Omega and Echo nodded. Skirata then calls, "Alright, troops, secure the perimeter. Keep an eye out for Stormtroopers,"
"Will do," Prudii replied, and the Null ARC troopers spread out across the island. Skirata then turned to the Batch and stated, "Let's get going. The sooner we can extract Kuan Si, the better" they carefully made their way towards the centre.
Time of day and seasons are irrelevant on a tidally locked planet. The climate is mild, with the only light source coming from the star. Hunter notices, once again, there's little noise, except for the sudden LAAT Gunships flying overhead that everyone had to hide. Hunter can smell and taste the flora, and something like moss, which he can feel on his boots. Hunter notices that everything is black or very dark in colouration.
"This is strange," Hunter admitted, a little unnerved by how alien the landscape was. Tech once again stated, "The light from a Red Dwarf star is faint, so plants would have to grow dark leaves to absorb as much light as possible,"
"It also helps with camouflage against predators," Skirata noted.
Soon, the mountain started to come into view.
"Is that where he's hiding?" Echo asked.
Skirata replied, "Yep. In a cave there. There's likely going to be a couple of natural obstacles to pass, but we should be OK,"
Suddenly, Hunter said, "Get down," everyone ducked as a Probe Droid flew past their position.
"Looks like the Empire's trying to scout out their opposition," Tech stated.
Hunter replied, "I don't think it saw us,"
"Let's get moving. We should be out of range," Echo stated.
The Batch nodded and continued.
Suddenly, they spot two troopers on patrol. Quickly stunning them, Wrecker drags them into a side alley to make tracking them as difficult as possible.
As they continue, they suddenly hear a "Duck!" and immediately do so.
It was good they did because Ordo shot a Droid Popper thrown at them, causing it to detonate. Meeren put up a shield to protect them.
"Thanks," Hunter said.
Mereel replied, "Don't thank me yet. We've still got 400 meters to cover". Hunter nodded, and they got back up, stunning another trooper, likely the one that had thrown the popper before they reached the cave.
Sensing his presence, Hunter stated, "Kuan Si's inside,"
Skirata replied, "Thank you, Captain Obvious," before he turned to the door and pressed a code into the keypad.
"Who else is here?" came a voice from the other side.
Skirata replied, "Clone Force 99, here to assist in getting Kuan Si out,"
"And why would we let Kuan Si leave the planet?" the voice inquired.
Skirata stated, "The Empire's after him. They've already landed on the planet". There was a brief pause before the doors opened.
"Get in," the voice, revealed to be a stocky clone not unlike Wrecker, though not as extreme. Once they were through, he closed the door behind them and lit some lights.
"Go. Now. And use the backway when you find Kuan Si. The Empire doesn't know about that route," he stated.
Skirata nodded and replied, "Good Work, Guardian," before the group made their way into the cave.
Meanwhile, a figure with blue skin, red eyes, blue-black hair and an officer suit was keeping watch.
"They're in," he stated.
A voice on the other side replied, "Good. We're just here to get Kuan Si off the planet. Don't interfere with either side. Just observe for us,"
"Understood," Chiss replied.
Back to the Batch
The cave going inside the mountain was milder than outside. The cave was unlit, natural or artificial, necessitating everyone to turn on helmet lights to see. Hunter could hear the sound of running water and the occasional sound of a stone crumbling. He could smell and taste the moss growing in the cave, the basaltic rock and the running water. The stone beneath him was hard but brittle beneath his boots. Everyone could see that the passage was only about 10ft high, though Hunter could sense that there were lights. They likely only showed up in ultraviolet.
As they continued inward, Hunter asked, "Hey, Omega, what is your relationship with Kuan Si?". After a few moments of contemplation, during which Omega registered that Hunter asked her this question, she replied, "He was my, Teacher? In a way? He helped me socialise, Kuan Si comforted me after each round of abuse I had to endure, and he introduced me to 99,"
"You knew 99?" Hunter asked.
Omega nodded, "Did you?"
"Yeah, we did. 99 was like us, a defective clone. We'd help 99 where we could, and in exchange, if we needed some help, 99 was always there to support us," Wrecker replied, smiling.
"He also encouraged my squad and motivated us to pass the Citadel test," Echo said. Omega smiled and replied, "Sounds like he helped more than just me,"
"He helped everyone he could. That's what made him special," Tech stated. Echo then asked, "Who else knew about your existence?"
"A couple of Jedi, though forbidden from mentioning my existence to anyone else by Lama Su," Omega replied. After a few moments, Echo asked, "Would Shaak Ti be one of them?"
"Yep, she was one. Plo Koon was the other Jedi who knew about me," Omega replied.
Echo nodded, smiled, and replied, "You met some great Jedi then,"
"How did they learn about you?" Skirata enquired.
Omega replied, "Shaak Ti spotted me trying to run away. That's how we met. I ran into Plo Koon, literally, during one of his visits, shortly after I met Shaak Ti,"
"Ha! Plo Koon too? That's doubly awesome. They cared about their troops. I hope they cared for you," Wrecker boasted.
Omega smiled and stated, though not without a slight note of bitterness in her voice, "They were essentially my surrogate parents. Something Nala Se could never be", which got a look at Hunter from Skirata.
"Well, that's lovely to hear, Omega. Did they spoil you at all?" Skirata smiled.
Omega replied, "Yeah, they did. They also got Nala Se to lessen the abuse, which made things much easier. Shaak TI and Plo Koon would leave treats under my pillow, and Shaak To and Plo Koon would talk to me if I was upset and comfort me after a bad round of abuse. Nala Se didn't like it at first, but she saw how much more productive I was, so she let it slide,"
"Sounds like she's started to grow a conscience. Wouldn't have expected that from the Demagolka," Skirata admitted, a surprised look on his face.
Omega asked, "Did you ever interact with Shaak Ti or Plo Koon?"
"Shaak Ti helped us on quite a few occasions, and we even helped her once. Plo Koon helped us out a couple of times," Hunter replied.
"That is so cool!" Omega replied, excited that they knew Jedi too.
Soon, they reached a cliff face. The cliff face was sharp and rough. It went over fifty feet in the air vertically.
"Get out your grappling hooks. It looks like we're going rock climbing," Hunter called.
Everyone else nodded, shot the hooks at the top of the cliff, and started ascending it.
Omega and Echo both have trouble ascending the cliff. Echo struggled with only one arm, while Omega struggled because she didn't have experience with a grappling hook. With help from Hunter, Tech and Skirata, they ascended safely.
"Everyone OK?" Hunter called back, and he got conformations from everyone.
"Still not entirely used to moving in this armour," Omega admitted.
Tech stated, "You're getting used to it, Omega, which is a good thing. You'll be fine,"
They moved further in, looking at the dark red-brown rock around them.
"Can you hear that?" Hunter asked suddenly.
Wrecker replied, "Hear what?"
"It sounds like running water," Hunter replied, and as they headed further in, a rushing river blocked their path. The only way over was a fragile-looking walkway. The river floor was full of glow moss, which gave light.
"Lightest first," Hunter said, turning to Omega.
Wrecker groaned, "Why not heaviest first?"
"Because we want to minimise the wear on the path, which looks pretty thin," Hunter stated.
Omega looked at the bridge, nodded, took a deep breath, and started walking across.
The path took her weight, and she was soon across.
Tech was next, followed by Hunter, Skirata, Echo, and Wrecker.
And it turned out it was a good thing Wrecker went last because the path started collapsing as Wrecker crossed.
"Wrecker!" Omega called as Wrecker attempted to cross the bridge before it collapsed, which he failed at, but he was able to use his grappling hook to avoid plunging into the river. With a bit of help from the entire Batch, Wrecker got up to them.
"That was close," Wrecker admitted as he patted Omega on the head to calm her.
Skirata stated, "That's why we sent you through last,"
"Yeah. Now I understand," Wrecker replied as he looked back. After a few moments, the Batch continued in, and soon, they discovered a hut.
He was wearing a mismatch of Phase 1 Clone Armour over his body and part of his long neck. His eyes weren't as cold as the others, and he seemed pretty laid back as he turned to face the group. The place was slightly hotter than the rest of the cave and lit up with artificial light. Hunter suspected both visible and ultraviolet. The rushing river and a couple of electronic components were the only sounds Hunter heard, and Hunter could smell and taste the glow of moss and electronics. The ground was softer here, possibly dampened by water. Hunter isn't sure how he suspects this, but he feels Kuan Si might be Force Sensitive.
"Kuan Si, good to see you," Skirata said.
Kuan Si replied, "At ease". He looked around and said, "Clone Force 99, right?"
"Correct. Well, most of us. We gained two members but lost one," Hunter said, and Kuan Si, looking around, stated, "Crosshair?"
"Crosshair had his inhibitor chip enhanced by the Empire, turning him against us. After the events of Bracca, he thought the Empire removed the Inhibitor Chip. But the Empire lied to him, so he got Nala Se to remove it. He left the Empire. However, due to us not showing any trust for him, he refuses to return to us," Tech stated. Kuan Si nodded, then asked, "Who have you added?"
"This is Echo," Hunter said, pointing to Echo before he pointed to Omega and said, "Omega,"
Kuan Si looked at Omega, and his eyes lit up.
"Omega? Is that you?" Kuan Si asked, astonished.
Omega removed her helmet and replied, "Yes. I'm with my brothers now! How awesome is that?"
"Pretty awesome. I hope Nala Se didn't abuse you too hard after they threw me out," Kuan Si replied.
Omega huffed, a haunted shadow crossing her features, "Nala Se was still abusing me hard for a while after. However, thanks to a couple of Jedi, they were able to get Nala Se to reduce the severity of her abuse,"
Kuan Si sighed and replied, "I wish I could have gotten you away from Nala Se the Demagolka. I almost succeeded too. I'm so sorry you had to continue to endure it,"
"Please cut the chit-chatter. We're here to get you out of here," Skirata stated.
Kuan Si nodded and replied, "We'll take the backway. The Empire won't be expecting it."
"Then lead the way," Hunter replied. Skirata and Kuan Si nodded, and they headed behind a secret door.
As they headed into the cave, Hunter noticed no changes between this cave section and others except for the occasional Stalactite. The ground was much rougher here, evidently not in use. As they headed down the cave, Hunter enquired, "So, why were you banished?"
"Stealing Kaminoan property. I was trying to get Omega either off Kamino or to Jango. The other Kaminoans didn't think that Jango would have adopted a daughter and a son, but I'm sure he would have. The dad instinct is strong in Mandalorians," Kuan Si replied, and Skirata swore.
"That'd do it," Skirata replied, while Hunter asked, "How close did you get to Jango's quarters?"
"Enough that Jango briefly saw Omega's hair, from what I heard," Skirata replied, shocking everyone.
"He knew about me?" Omega asked.
Kuan Si stated, "He suspected you existed. But he didn't have any hard proof."
"He was reprimanded twice for trying to get into Nala Se's labs. I think he was looking to confirm your existence," Guardian replied.
"When did you get here?" Skirata asked.
Guardian replied, "The Empire has breached the cave entrance. I reckon they're not that far behind once they're across the river,"
"How did you get across the river if the path is out?" Kuan Si enquired.
Guardian replied, "I climbed across on a grappling hook,"
"Ah, well done," Kuan Si replied.
He then turned to Hunter and asked, "No hard feelings?"
"No hard feelings, Kuan Si. You don't seem like the other Kaminoans. You've got a conscience," Hunter replied.
Kuan Si chuckled and nodded, then said, "Good".
With the Chiss
The Chiss looks to the other side of the mountain using his infrared goggles.
"They've got Kuan Si," he stated.
The voice replied, "Good. Hopefully, Kuan Si escapes in one piece. The monetary windfall we'll get for keeping him safe will help the Chiss Ascendancy immensely,"
"Very good," Chiss replied, and he continued to watch.
Back to the Batch
Eventually, they reach the exit.
"Hold it. We've got company on the other side," Hunter said, listening carefully. It is then that Kuan Si gets an idea.
"I can drive them out using the alarm on the other side. Give me a moment or two to get it ready," Kuan Si said.
Skirata nodded and replied, "Take all the time you need". Kuan Si nodded and got to work. After a few moments, he turned back and said, "Cover your ears", and once everyone had, he unleashed the siren.
Checking through his infrared goggles, Skirata saw the Imperial Soldiers scatter at the noise.
"Grear work," he said as the exit melted away at his touch, returning everyone to the ships.
"That Tartan Patrol Cruiser is going to be a problem," Skirata admitted.
Guardian replied, "How about you guys pile aboard the Batch's ship, and I'll take the other one for a spin to try and distract them,"
"Alright. Be careful, Guardian. You've been an invaluable friend," Skirata and Kuan Si replied.
Guardian nodded and ran for the other ship while everyone else piled aboard the Havoc Marauder.
As the two ships headed out, the two Tartan Patrol Cruisers pursued in opposite directions while the CR90 Corvettes stayed back to protect the Venator.
"I hope Guardian can keep the Tartan off him long enough to allow us to escape," Skirata admitted as they flew away from the island.
As they depart, they suddenly see a shot of ion energy fly into the Venator, which had prepared to scramble its fighters.
"What was that?" Wrecker asked as he saw the ion fire into space.
Kuan Si replied, "I think it was a Giant Ion Cannon,"
"Strap in, everyone. I'm going to be flying pretty crazy," Tech stated, and everyone did their best to buckle down as the Tartan Patrol Cruiser homed in on them, pouring lasers at him.
Tech immediately threw the Havoc Marauder into a steep dive, which the Tartan struggled to keep up, so Tech could get a bit of distance.
"Pull up! Pull up! You maniac!" Kuan Si called, but Tech stayed going and only pulled up when they were less than a couple of hundred feet from the water.
Still firing on them and scoring a few hits, the Tartan continued to pursue.
"Should I go back and start firing?" Wrecker asked.
Tech stated, "Negative. That ship is too well shielded for a simple laser cannon to stop" before he flew into a canyon to try and shake the Tartan.
And it worked. Instead, the Cruiser rode above the canyon, still taking shots at the Havoc Marauder.
"This thing won't give up," Skirata called, and Tech got an idea.
"Hold on," Tech called, and he found a marginal opening in the canyon and tightly turned the ship around. Though not without grinding the edge against the rocks a bit. Being a lot bigger, the Tartan lost a lot of distance, turning around to continue the chase.
Finally, the Havoc Marauder broke out of the canyon and made a mad rush for orbit. But the Tartan wasn't giving up and sent a massive barrage of laser cannon fire at the Havoc Marauder.
"Shields are down. The ship can't take too much more," Echo called, evident worry on his face.
Tech calmly stated, "We're fine. The shields are already starting to regenerate, and the Tartan can no longer give chase since it sent that barrage at us,"
"That was too close, Tech," Omega moaned as they made orbit.
Hunter replied, "It was a close call, but we managed to escape thanks to Tech's wild flying."
"Thank you, Hunter," Tech stated, smiling slightly. As they depart, they see flaming wreckage on the ground, with another Tartan Patrol Cruiser trying to catch them up, but by then, it wasn't going to catch them.
"Guardian did his job," Skirata said mournfully as the Havoc Marauder broke through the atmosphere. Soon, Echo had the coordinates ready, and the ship jumped to Hyperspace.
With the Chiss
"They got away with Kuan Si," the Chiss said/
The voice replied, "Good work, Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Now return to your post, alright?"
"Alright," Mitth'raw'nuruodo replied, and he departed.
With the Empire
"Admiral, the Clones have escaped with the Kaminoan. Also, we discovered some strange blue-skinned, red-eyed dude watching us," one of the Clones stated.
Rampart replied, "A shame. Retrieve the clones, then bombard the mountain. I don't think anyone has any use for it now,"
"Alright," the Clone replied. A few minutes later, the Clones were back onboard. Then the Venator opened fire on the mountain, eventually causing it to collapse.
"That should take care of any spies," Rampart stated coolly before the Venator, the CR90s, and the Tartans departed for hyperspace.
However, despite all the fire, Mitth'raw'nuruodo was still very much alive.
The hum from the CR90 was slightly louder as it flew through hyperspace. The nerves Hunter had sensed earlier weren't present. Only a sense of relief washed over everyone. There was also no dust on the ground from what Hunter felt on his boots.
Kuan Si turned to Omega and asked, "Why did Nala Se ever reduce the severity of the abuse she inflicted on you?"
"Partly because she went overboard on punishing me after your banishing. Partly because two Jedi Masters threatened to tell the Jedi Order about Nala Se abusing a force-sensitive clone, that being me," Omega replied.
Skirata asked, "Let me guess, Jedi Masters Shaak Ti and Plo Koon?"
"Yep. The Jedi confronted Nala Se about it," Omega's voice in awe. Skirata stated, "Must have been quite the sight," while Kuan Si whistled, then continued with, "Nala Se must not have taken that well,"
"No, she didn't. Then again, she knew not to try anything on two Jedi Masters, so they eventually compromised. Nala Se reduced the severity of the abuse, and Shaak Ti and Plo Koon wouldn't tell anyone.
Shaak Ti and Plo Koon would spoil me with treats and comfort me if I was either upset or if Nala Se had been rough with her abuse," Omega replied, unconsciously rubbing her forearms, which the Batch knew were still heavily scarred.
Kuan Si nodded, "It took Jedi Masters to get that demagolka to not abuse you so badly" before he turned to the Batch and asked, "Have you two helped her cope with this?"
"After we found out she was as traumatised as we are, we've tried to help," Tech stated, while Echo added, "My trauma overlaps with hers, but it took a while, and several attempts, to get Omega to open up about her trauma. But we're, slowly, working our way through,"
"Good to hear," Kuan Si replied. Hunter then added, "She's got a friend who she talks to regularly, also about her trauma,"
"That's great to hear," Kuan Si replied, smiling at Omega. Omega returns the smile. Kuan Si then continued, "Who is he?"
"He's a Togruta called Alejandro. He's a year older than me but has had his history of medical trauma," Omega replied.
Kuan Si responded, "I'm glad you've found someone who can help you and that you're helping her out, Echo,"
"Thanks, Kuan Si," Echo replied.
"I want to thank all of you for getting Omega off that hellhole. She didn't deserve what happened to her, but I'm glad that she got to be with the people she wanted to be with the most," Kuan Si continued, turning to the entire Batch, who all nodded and thanked Kuan Si.
"So, payment. Once I'm back at the secret Clone base, I'll send Cid a line of credit, so she'll pay you," Kuan Si said.
Hunter replied, "Thanks. I'm sure Cid would like that,"
"I'm sure of it," Kuan Si replied. He then continued, "I'm a little surprised you guys aren't more, on edge, around me, considering the history Kaminoans have with all of you,"
"We learned about you being banished by the Kaminoans because you tried to stop the abuse Omega was experiencing at the hands of the Demagolka Nala Se, so we have a higher opinion of you than anyone else. So, we won't attack you. Also, Rex has stated that you're going to be useful to the Clone rebellion," Hunter explained,
"One question. What would you have done if you had gotten Omega off Kamino? Where would you have gone?" Wrecker enquired.
Kuan Si replied, "I would have taken her to Alzekan. The Null-class Advanced Recon Commando squad would have raised her until such a time as you guys were ready to take her in. We would've given her everything she needed. Training, Armour, Therapy, all of it. She would have been, at least partially trained, with her armour, and we'd have at least partially helped cope with her trauma,"
"That's very noble, Kuan Si," Hunter replied.
Kuan Si nodded. Kuan Si turned to Omega and said, "Have you ever considered changing your name? To get away from connections with Nala Se?"
"Not at this stage. Mainly because I don't know what I'd change my name to," Omega admitted.
Kuan Si nodded and replied, "OK," before stretching and adding, "I think we're nearly there, so I'll get everything set up for you guys. Alright?"
"Alright," Hunter replied, and soon, they arrived outside Ord Mantell.
"See you around," Omega said as she hugged Kuan Si, who returned the hug and said, "I hope to see you soon, Omega. And the rest of you, Clone Force 99,"
"Thanks," Hunter replied. He then turned to Skirata and added, "Keep him safe, alright?"
"We will," Skirata replied, and everyone departed to their destinations.