"You did this. You let him go."
Sawyer did nothing to silence the torrent of accusations hurled at him, and Ren Sai's angry berating did nothing to offer the sergeant support. Instead, Sawyer sat still, his face downcast in shame at his failure.
"You had one order, CT-3558, one simple order: bring the cadet in alive. How is it that a mere boy—need I remind you, a boy you yourself trained—slipped through our grasp so easily?!" Ren Sai's eyes were wide with fury, something Sawyer never believed the cloner was capable of showing.
"He caught on to what we were doing," Sawyer replied. "We thought we got the drop on him, but he was one step ahead. He stole an ARC-170, and he took off." The sergeant kept his gaze glued to the floor, though he could still make out the Kaminoan's slim stature as Ren Sai leaned forward.
"And now, he is looking for a Jedi," Ren Sai interjected. "A Jedi! Need I remind you that this incident reflects poorly on everyone here, and not just you?! I warned you that the Empire is vulnerable, Sergeant. What would the Emperor himself think if he saw this corruption? We must track down this rogue cadet immediately."
"Already done," Sawyer huffed out. With that, he pulled out a small, rectangular black box, and placed it on the desk. The sergeant inwardly patted himself on the back. When Sawyer had first started training the cadets, he'd had homing tracers surgically implanted in them, to make sure they didn't get lost. The tracer, in addition to the tracking beacon placed on the ship, would allow the older clone to keep Cooper tied on the end of a string, within the Empire's reach…and it allowed Sawyer to ensure no one tried to kill his cadet while they were looking for him. "You didn't think I'd completely tossed our only lead out the window, did you?"
"Fair enough. File an incident report with the Imperial Security Bureau. Inform them of your cadet's actions and association with the Jedi traitor known as Harlow Thornton. As of now, CT-4901 is charged with desertion and treason against the Empire."
"I'll gladly double my efforts to help you look for—"
"You will do no such thing," Ren Sai said, his voice not bothering to hide his frustration. "I'm afraid your personal attachment to CT-4901 will only hinder our progress. Then there is the fact that your cadet went off searching for a Jedi. Thornton is the one who pushed your cadet to betray us. She is the primary target here."
"What are you saying, sir?"
Ren Sai leaned forward enough to look Sawyer in the eye. "I'm saying the time has come to call in some help."
The ARC-170 swiftly exited hyperspace, the engines roaring as it zoomed towards Teth. Cooper glanced back at the damaged engine, his anxiety increasing the longer he stared at the smoke fuming from the stabilizer. Don't know how much longer this'll hold up. Better get the ship on the ground fast. The clone tightly gripped the controls, and took a deep breath as he guided the ARC-170 into Teth's fog-ridden atmosphere. He tried his best to avoid squinting as the few rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds.
The rogue clone focused his attention on the open air around him, eyes scanning the area for a decent spot to land. Though the fog obscured much of his vision, Cooper could just make out the rocky cliffs and forests that dominated the landscape.
He wasn't on Kamino anymore.
Okay, just gotta set it down nice and easy…
The distressing, monotone sirens tore Cooper from his thoughts. He stared at the message on the holo-screen.
Warning: right engine stabilizer critically damaged. Failure imminent. Please initiate emergency landing procedures.
What little training the clone had on piloting kicked in, his hands tightening in a death grip around the joystick. He steered his way through the fog, trying his best to ignore the flames spouting from the right engine as he started the landing cycle.
I've got a bad feeling about this…
The unexpected lurch sent sparks flying over Cooper's face, the clone using his arms to shield himself from the worst of the sparks. Oh no. His eyes widened as he witnessed the right engine give up its pitiful attempts to keep functioning. Cooper felt his stomach lurch as the starfighter plummeted to the dense jungle below.
The bulky shapes of trees rose up out of the fog, threatening to bring the ship's flight to a fiery end. The cadet swerved the starfighter wildly, and held his breath as the left wing nearly impacted with one of the trees. Cooper's body nearly flew from his seat as the ship roughly touched down. The starfighter continued forward, recklessly dragging itself through the dirt before the friction brought the ship to a gradual stop.
And to think, when I was younger, I actually wanted to take one of these things for a joyride. Cooper couldn't have been more thankful for the safety straps which kept him from flying through the windshield. With trembling hands and legs as heavy as durasteel, he hastily undid the straps and pushed against the cockpit. The transparisteel barrier gave way, allowing the clone to climb out into the dirt below.
So much for setting the ship down safely. Cooper looked left and right, his brain trying to comprehend the foreign territory before him. The thick forest surrounded him. Trees laden with vines appeared in his vision wherever he looked. Great. Where do I go now? His eyes and ears took in detail after detail, from the sharp chirping of the birds to the coarseness of the dirt underneath his boots. It all seemed surreal to him.
The teen's eyes finally rested on a much thicker cloud of fog, darker than the mist surrounding it. The consuming fog forced Cooper to squint before he finally realized what he was staring at. The smoke pillared up into the sky like a beacon waiting to be answered. Maybe it's just some bits and pieces of that engine catching fire. The clone's instincts persisted, mentally tugging him in the direction of the smoke no matter how much he wanted to ignore it.
Besides your brothers, your gut is the only thing you can trust on the field. Listen to it. Cooper had long since memorized Sawyer's training advice like the back of his hand. He considered it ironic that he was using that exact same advice against the Empire by running off. The rogue cadet took another hard glance at the pitch-black pillar. Well, where there's smoke, there's probably a building generating it. And where there's a building, there's gotta be someone who owns it. Maybe they can help me fix my ship.
The teen took a deep breath, allowing the fresh oxygen to soothe his nerves, and began the long, tiring walk to the smoke's source.
The sunlight pouring in from the window afforded Silas an advantage in cleaning up the tools from a long night's work. He leaned on the workbench to keep his aching legs from giving out, reaching for a rag to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead. The sunrise would have been a beautiful thing to witness, if only it didn't serve as a harsh reminder that he had once again worked through the night. Dammit. Lyra's gonna kill me. Who knows how worried she's been? It was no secret that his wife had gotten lonely in bed at night, in no short part due to her husband's stubbornness.
Silas had just finished putting his tools away when his ears picked up the creaking of the shed door. He whipped his head around, but his eyes met nothing. What the…could've sworn I heard something.
Almost on instinct, the mechanic reached for his scatterblaster, eyes vigilant as he aimed the rusty blaster at the shadows. The soft crunch of dirt underneath his boots was the only sound that broke the silence. The Tethan kept his breaths shallow and his ears alert for any potential noises. "Is anyone there?" Silas called out, only to be met with silence. His hands trembled with every step he took, blood rushing through his head as he scanned every inch of the shed.
Silas' first thought was that the intruder—if there was an intruder—was an animal. It's not the first time I've had to shoo animals out of here. Not that there's much I can do about it. The Tethan had tried setting traps and electric wire around the shed, but both obstacles were a hassle to avoid whenever he found himself working. So Silas instead had taken to leaving his trusty scatterblaster out in the barn, and firing warning shots at any animals who so much as made a peep. He wasn't afraid of killing the animals—he and Lyra would gladly take and cook any food offered for free—but the carcasses were always a mess to clean up. Silas grimaced. No animal corpses had stunk up the shed in the past few months, but he still winced at the memory of the horrid smell.
CLANG!
His peripheral vision caught the rake as it clattered to the ground. Without hesitation, Silas turned toward the noise, the weapon heavy in his grip as he prepared to fire.
"Don't shoot, don't shoot!"
The sudden voice, accompanied by the trembling hands behind a pile of scrap, immediately dispelled Silas' beliefs that the disturbance was an animal. He kept his gun trained on the figure as he approached, one hand cautiously reaching for the makeshift cover and tossing it aside.
It was then that Silas caught his first glance of the intruder. The young teenager stared back at the mechanic with fearful hazel eyes, which were locked on to the blaster. Probably some thief. Kriffing hell. Knew someone was gonna try to rob us eventually. "The hell are you doing in here?" Silas demanded. "I swear, if you're some damned hooligan—"
"I-I'm sorry!" the teen stammered, scrambling back against the wall and eyeing the blaster as it followed his movements. "I just need some help. This was the only place I could find."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, buddy, but we've got a 'No Trespassing' sign for a reason," Silas said. "You sure you're not looking to pickpocket something?"
"I'm not here to steal anything, I swear!"
Silas reluctantly lowered the blaster, taking a good, long look at the trespasser. The pajamas the young man wore further backed up his claims, and his scruffy dark hair looked as if it had seen better days. "You are one lucky son of a bitch, you know that?!" the Tethan huffed. "You could've lost your life today. I thought you were some animal digging for scraps. Why are you in my shed, anyways?"
"I-I don't want any trouble. I just need someplace to stay—"
"You should've thought of that before you trespassed and nearly made me shoot you." The Tethan's voice was as smooth as a well-polished floor, but nonetheless, he visibly shook at how ill-mannered and threatening he sounded.
"Please…look, my ship crashed a good distance from here. I'll leave if you want me to, but I…I've got nowhere to go…"
The teen ashamedly turned his eyes away from the older man, seemingly staring into space. Silas leaned on what remained of the scrap pile as he thought it over. Dammit, I know Lyra's gonna have a fit. The house wasn't exactly prepared for visitors, and a part of Silas still couldn't ignore the possibility of the boy stealing from the house, or doing much worse. The Tethan glanced back at the young man, the stranger's eyes shining with what Silas knew to be desperation.
I sure as hell hope he doesn't make me regret this…
Silas' eyes gradually softened over, and he held out a hand to help the teen to his feet. "Fine then," the mechanic reluctantly replied, slinging the blaster over his shoulders. "I'll let you stay here, but don't think for one second I won't change my mind about this. The minute you try to take anything, I will chase you out of my house, and don't you think I won't! You hear?"
The stranger hastily nodded his head in reply, his skin paling in response to Silas' warning.
"C'mon. My wife's gonna want answers from both of us. Let's not keep her waiting." The mechanic gestured toward the open shed door. The teen kept his head hung low, as if he were a disobedient pet Lothcat expecting punishment. His eyes slightly rose to look into Silas' emerald ones, and the Tethan repeated the gesture. "You go first. I'd like to keep my eye on you."
The young man's eyes darted once again to the scatterblaster, and he audibly gulped.
Oh. Didn't realize how much I was scaring him with this damn thing. Silas slowly set his blaster on the table, his eyes trained on the boy. "Look, I'm not that cruel, okay? I won't waste a blaster shot on you. I swear it." The gentle reassurance compelled the stranger to obey, his legs reluctantly pushing him in the direction of the shed entrance. Silas followed close behind, his hands instinctively twitching no matter how much he wished he could calm them down.
The crisp early morning air offered a much-needed reprieve from the volume of dust gathering in the shed. Silas kept his eyes trained on the teen, watching every step to ensure the boy wouldn't try anything stupid. The stranger, meanwhile, keep his head shamefully lowered as he climbed the steps to the Tethan's porch. Silas' gaze narrowed. What is he so worried about? He hasn't done anything to hurt us, so it's not like I'm gonna turn him in to the Imperials or something.
The two walked in the door. Silas felt a smile creep up on his face at the sight of his wife. Her blonde curls lay on her shoulders as she poured herself a glass of water, her back turned to her husband. Think I need a drink myself once we get breakfast ready. Here's hoping she's got enough food for one more.
"I missed you last night," Lyra called out, her movements focused entirely on setting the table to notice the uninvited guest. "Tough night working in the shed again?"
"You have no idea," Silas replied, his remorseful look saying more than his words could. He tried his best to force a smile as he approached his wife and planted a kiss on her cheek. "I lost track of time again. I'm sorry."
His wife waved his apology off with her hand. "I'm not mad, Silas," she reassured, running her hand affectionately along his cheek. Her brow furrowed as she looked at her husband. "You look stressed. Lighten up a little. Your work can't get any crazier than this."
"I take it breakfast is ready?"
"Yeah, you're just in time," she assured him, as she strolled back over to the counter. "Do you think you can help me finish setting the…"
Silas couldn't help but grin as Lyra stared at the stranger standing awkwardly in the dining room. "Uh, Silas?" Lyra tentatively turned to her husband. "Who is this?"
"You told me my work couldn't get any crazier?" Silas asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
Lyra nodded her head. "Yeah," she warily answered.
Silas gestured to the scrawny young man beside him. "It got crazier, Lyra."
Who knew a guy pointing a blaster at me could be so friendly?
Cooper shoved another piece of food into his mouth, a grin forming on his lips as he savored the taste. The two Tethans—Silas and Lyra Mercier—also eagerly dug into their breakfast, occasionally offering a parting glance toward their unexpected guest. The three of them kept silent, the clattering of dishes offering the only lapse in complete silence.
It wasn't long before Silas decided to break the communication barrier. "So where you from, kid?"
"I…uh," Cooper fumbled, eyes cast down at his plate, his smile and his appetite leaving him faster than he could process. "I…used to live out in the Mid Rim. It wasn't all that great, so I just packed up and left."
"Well you picked a poor place to settle down, that's for sure," Lyra quirked, taking a sip from her glass. "Out here is nowhere near as fancy as say, Nar Shaddaa or Coruscant. But it's got its perks."
"Yeah, that's a good one, sweetheart," Silas grumbled, his mouth full of food. "Please, do tell us about these perks. I have yet to see 'em."
"We've a roof over our heads, and food on the table, Silas."
"A leaky roof that needs fixing, that's for sure."
"So, what's a young man like you doing out here on your own?" Lyra asked, turning her attention back to Cooper. "You got any family?"
The rogue cadet's thoughts immediately went to his brothers. Sawyer, Jackal. Wonder if you guys are looking for me…who am I kidding? Of course they're not. After all, Cooper was a clone, a cog in a machine, a cog that could easily be replaced if broken or missing. "It's…it's complicated," he said instead, hoping the couple would accept his answer.
Silas' skeptical look easily crushed the clone's hope, however. He scoffed amusingly as he stared at the teen. "Care to un-complicate it, then?"
"Uh, no."
"Why not?" Lyra asked, her eyes a mixture of confusion and concern. "We promise we won't judge."
"It's just…if I start talking about what I've been through, we're gonna be sitting here all morning making diagrams with silverware, that's all," the clone dully said.
"Sounds to me like you've got it pretty rough," Silas interjected softly, setting his fork down. "I can respect that. I can respect that a lot. Tell you what? We'll tell you our story if you tell us yours, how's that sound?"
Cooper almost immediately broke into a nervous sweat. Should I tell them? What would they do if I did? How do I know they won't just turn me in to the Imperials, or worse? As the clone looked up at the welcoming faces of his hosts, however, the doubts swimming in his brain began to fade. They've been kind to me so far. They said they'd understand, right?
"I'm a clone." The damning words slipped out of his mouth no matter how much Cooper tried to keep them in. "I…I ran off from Kamino about a day ago, I think, and I crashed my ship here." The moment the words left his mouth, Cooper almost instantly wished he could take them back. The clone kept his gaze fixed on his food, hoping he could block the image of Lyra's bewildered face out of his memory.
"So…you're…I'm sorry, you're one of those clones from the Republic?" the wife amusingly replied, struggling to contain her laughter. "Woo. I've heard some crazy stories back when I was your age, but this is…this is surely something else."
"I'm not telling stories," Cooper shot back, his gaze fixed on the woman.
Lyra's amused look faded into confusion as the reality of the rogue clone's words sunk in. "But…how is that possible? This kid's like what, fourteen years old? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought clone troopers were much older than that."
"Yeah, that's a bit complicated too," Cooper quirked up, his lips parting in a grin. "We age twice as fast as normal humans. I might look fourteen, but I'm not. We're not exactly born ready to fight, either. We still have to learn the skills and all that."
"And how did that work out for you?" Silas questioned, leaning on the table in an attempt to hear more.
"It…had its ups and downs, I guess," the former cadet replied, nervously rubbing his hands together. He didn't feel like telling the couple about the constant threats of disposal, or about the reminders every single day that told him he was expendable. "But it was exciting, for the most part. What about you guys?" he pressed, hoping to change the subject.
"Well, Lyra and I are in the repair business," Silas answered, flashing a wide grin as he set his own silverware down. "We work on all sorts of vehicles. I do the physical repairs, and she handles the electronics and all the wiring."
"In other words, I'm the 'slicing expert' around here, and Silas practically lives in the shed doing the dirty work," Lyra quipped, letting out a chuckle at her own joke.
"Excuse me, I do not live in the shed," her husband shot back. "It's just that some repairs take longer than expected."
"Then why do I wind up finding you in the shed all tuckered out at least once a week?"
"Yeah, good one. At least I didn't crash the holo-terminal with some 'expert' slicing skills."
"You did what?" Cooper turned to Lyra, not bothering to hide his laughter.
"Yeah, true story," Silas continued, letting off a few chuckles himself. "She wanted to slice into a vehicle's systems through our house's holo-terminal. Holo-terminal got a virus and crashed on us. She and I had to spend a weekend fixing the damn thing."
"Well, speaking of repairs," Lyra interrupted, turning her eyes to Cooper, "I think we should focus on fixing that ships of yours, kid. The sooner we get you sent on your way, the better."
"I agree," the former cadet replied, rising from his chair. "So, when do we start?"
"We can work out the details once we get on the road," Silas said. "There's a shop in town that'll have everything we need, and then some. In the meantime," Silas paused and rose from his chair, trudging toward the staircase. "Why don't you follow me? My son's probably got some old clothes that would fit you."
Cooper wordlessly accepted the Tethan's offer, and followed the older man up the stairs. A smile crept up on his face. Honestly…things might be looking up for once.
Given all the stress he had endured in the past few hours, Cooper certainly hoped that was the case.
And that's another chapter up. If there's any comments you guys have about the story so far, please feel free to review or PM me. Other than that, thanks for the support so far, stay safe, and have a great day! :)