The fading sunlight signaled an end to the day's work. Cooper collapsed next to Silas, gratefully accepting a rag to wipe the bullets of sweat from his forehead. The two had just finished ferrying the husk of the clone's crashed ship back to Silas' shed. Even though Silas' repulsor-driven sled had done most of the heavy lifting, the job had still taken a toll on the men.
"You weren't kidding when you said you took your job seriously," Cooper said, his breath coming out in quick pants.
Silas nodded his head in agreement as he tried to catch his own breath. At least the hard part of all this is over. All the Tethan needed to do now was replace the stabilizer, and clean up any other damages the ship sustained in the crash. Can't say how lucky I am that the kid's ship is still in one piece. Makes my job a lot easier. "We should probably head back inside," he wearily suggested, suppressing an exhausted groan as he stood back up. "We need to get cleaned up, you need to rest, and I need to get to work on that ship of yours."
Cooper quickly followed the mechanic back up to the house. Silas smiled as he saw his wife waiting for him on the front porch. "How's the ship coming along?" she asked her husband. "Planning on spending the night out there again?"
"Well, I just might have to," Silas hopelessly answered, leaning in to kiss her. "Look, I'll try to get a good chunk of the work done tonight, and then I'll save the rest for the morning. The repairs shouldn't take that long, anyway. Cooper," he turned to face the teen, "Go on and get yourself cleaned up. You can lodge up in Torvald's room tonight."
The skeptical look in Lyra's eyes caught the mechanic off guard. Wonder what her deal is. Was it something I said?
"I don't know," Cooper hesitantly spoke up, absentmindedly rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. "I don't want to be a burden to you guys."
"Oh, it's all right, kid," Silas reassured him, mentally taking note of Lyra's silence. "You're welcome to stay here. My son's not using that room of his, anyway."
Cooper smiled gratefully at the Tethan's answer, before trotting upstairs to nearest refresher. The two barely noticed him slip out of sight before Silas placed his hand on Lyra's shoulder. "I know that look," he solemnly started, locking eyes with her disdainful gaze. "What's wrong?"
"It's just…" Lyra started, struggling to wrap her head around what her husband had just suggested.
"You don't want him spending the night, do you?"
"No, I'm totally fine with that," the slicer quickly replied. "It's just…how do we know he's not going to do something rash?"
"Lyra," the mechanic interrupted, affectionately brushing the stray strands of hair out of his wife's face. "It'll be fine. The war's been over for months now, and in any case, I doubt this boy barely knows how to hold his blaster properly. I let him know up front that I won't tolerate him stealing, if it makes you feel better."
Lyra nodded her head in response. "There's some good news," she said, hiding the doubt in her voice. "I'm gonna grab some spare bedding for the kid. You need anything?"
"Yeah, a strong drink," Silas half-joked. Gotta have something to keep me sane while I'm working, right?
Lyra sent him a worried glance, but otherwise didn't question his request. "Try not to stay up all night this time, will you?" she sternly warned. "I'd rather not have to come out there and force you to stop working."
"No promises," her husband snidely replied, turning on his heels and making his way back towards the shed. Better get started. Sooner I get this ship fixed, the sooner I can stop worrying Lyra and get this kid sent on his way.
"I cleaned it up best I could," Lyra lamented, her weary voice suggesting she had changed the sheets only hours ago.
Cooper took a hard glance at the piece of furniture before him. His nose itched from the dirt radiating off the frame. The dusty air, combined with the rust on the frame, implied that no one had laid in the bed for a while. I can't imagine how Lyra's son must feel about sleeping in this thing. The boy turned to Lyra, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Are you sure Torvald won't mind me sleeping here?"
"I'm sure," the Tethan confidently answered, her teal eyes wandering around the room, almost as if lost in the scenery. "Trust me, kiddo. He won't mind at all."
The answer gave the former cadet all the reason he needed to sit down on the bed, the mattress groaning underneath his weight.
"You sure you're gonna be fine?" Lyra asked, her posture showing her desire to leave the room.
"Yeah, yeah," the clone immediately replied. "I'm good."
"Okay. The refresher is down the hall, and I'll be in the next room if you need me." Lyra turned to leave, only to swiftly face her guest again before she reached the door. "Oh, and fair warning: Silas is a workaholic, so if you hear me up and about, I'm going outside to take away his tools."
Cooper couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping his lips. "You seriously take your own husband's tools?" he deadpanned, a grin appearing on his face the longer he thought about it.
"Someone's gotta get him to sleep eventually."
"Lyra?" Cooper called out, stopping the slicer in her tracks as she turned to leave again.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you both, for everything," he said, his voice laced with sincerity and tiredness.
The woman returned the teen's smile. "You're welcome. Good night." With that, Lyra turned out the light and closed the door, enveloping Cooper and the room in darkness.
The clone wasted no time crawling underneath the sheets, the fluffy bulk of blankets nearly pinning him to the bed. He let out a sigh as his stressed muscles relaxed. This sure beats those cramped pods back on Kamino. Granted, the sleeping pods had temperature control, but he'd never actually had any additional warmth, let alone bedding as soft as what he was lying on now. It just wasn't necessary, in the Kaminoans' opinions. Sawyer's bed in his private quarters had sheets, but the nights Cooper spent in there didn't count, either. The teen couldn't actually fall asleep those nights, in most part due to the nightmares which sent him tiptoeing to Sawyer in the first place.
In addition, Sawyer had a tendency to hog the sheets.
Cooper quickly shook the memory from his mind. Can't believe I'm actually missing the guy who tried to hold me against my will. As much as he missed his old life, however, Cooper couldn't help but feel torn between two worlds, both unrecognizable to him at this point. Granted, he didn't know Lyra or Silas entirely—part of him still nagged at the possibility of Silas losing his temper and throwing the clone out. But in the past several hours, they'd shown the teen a world beyond all the training and violence he was used to. They'd shown Cooper more care and understanding than the long-necks had shown him in his entire relatively short life.
Maybe…maybe it'll all be okay.
That was Cooper's last thought before his fatigue and the soft covers lulled him to sleep.
The roaring of an engine abruptly shook Cooper from his rest. His eyes gradually opened as the engine finally grinded to a halt, and he let out a groan in response to being woken up abruptly. Ugh. Lyra wasn't kidding when she said Silas was a workaholic.
The young clone's hands groggily fumbled with the sheets as he pulled them back and hopped out of bed. He carefully turned the doorknob, and flipped the hallway light on, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible. Lyra said she could get Silas to stop working. I'll bet she's as annoyed as I am about being woken up.
He was just about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened. Lyra's perplexed look told her she also hadn't expected the wake-up call. "I take it you can't sleep, either?"
Cooper shook his head in response. "You weren't kidding when you said Silas was a workaholic."
The woman groggily trudged back over to her nightstand and picked up her commlink. "Silas? Are you there?" she questioned, careful to keep her voice as calm and quiet as she could.
A few seconds of silence preceded her husband's response. "Hey sweetheart. You need something?"
"Silas, are you working right now?"
"…Yeah," the Tethan replied, confusion laced into his voice. "Why?"
"Do you think you could work a little more quietly?" Lyra asked, her frustration at being woken up struggling to reach the surface.
"Lyra, honey, I haven't even touched the louder tools, if that's what you're talking about."
"Then what was—"
The sharp rapping on the house's front door cut off Lyra's statement and nearly caused Cooper to jump out of his skin. The two of them strolled toward the window, slightly peeling back the curtains to catch a glimpse of the person knocking.
Oh, no. Not him again. Cooper felt dread make its home in his heart as he spotted Taddeo's familiar bandana. The dread increased exponentially as he made out the silhouettes of several other pirates standing behind Taddeo. "Just great," he groaned.
Lyra's eyes widened at the young clone's unexpected statement. "Wait, you actually met this bastard?"
"Yep," Cooper deadpanned. "Should we just pretend we're not home?"
"No," Lyra quickly answered. "Taddeo's a determined fellow, and I don't know what he's after. It's probably best to ask him."
Upon hearing the Tethan's plan, Cooper quickly walked back to the spare bedroom, taking a moment to put his boots on. He easily spotted his carbine sitting beside the nightstand, and grabbed it as well. That pirate brandished a blaster last time I saw him. He'll probably drop the bravado once he finds out I'm as armed as he is.
The clone rushed back to Lyra's bedroom, ignoring the concerned look on the woman's face as she spotted his blaster. "Is that necessary?" she skeptically asked, pointing toward the blaster. "I'd rather not escalate the situation, if possible."
"He brandished a blaster at me, Lyra," Cooper replied. "Believe me, it's necessary."
Lyra's distrusting look never wavered. "Hang back in the doorway, and let me do the talking here, okay?"
The clone nodded in response. Lyra began to trudge downstairs, her footsteps lightly thudding on the wooden floor. Cooper followed close behind. The woman pushed her hair out of her eyes, putting on the most alert face she possibly could, before opening the door. The Weequay standing on her front porch kept his hand resting on the support beam, his cold eyes showing a stark contrast to Lyra's tired ones. Cooper, meanwhile, followed Lyra's instructions, standing behind her and keeping his blaster slung over his back.
"Taddeo," Lyra greeted, stifling a yawn and keeping her eyes fixed on the pirate leader. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, inwardly smiling at the subtle disdain she sprinkled into her tone.
"You've any idea where your husband is?" Taddeo asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'd like to have a word with him."
"Look, if this is about another payment, I have some credits I can give to—"
"Yeah, that ain't why I'm here," the Weequay sharply interrupted. "Where's Silas?"
"He's out in the shed working, as usual," the slicer confidently answered, taking a deep breath as her mind came back into focus. "What's all this about?"
"Your husband nearly broke my nose is what!" Taddeo growled, his eyes glaring daggers at the woman.
Lyra focused her gaze on the enraged pirate. Though the porch light illuminated the pitch darkness, both Lyra and Cooper still had to squint to make out the bacta strip lining Taddeo's nose.
"I really must apologize, Taddeo," Lyra sincerely started, averting her eyes in an attempt to burn the pirate's hateful stare from her memory.
"You ain't the one who should be apologizing, Lyra," Taddeo bluntly replied, his anger never wavering. "Bacta ain't exactly cheap, you know!"
"Look, if it worries you that much, I'll go have a word with him myself."
"Your words ain't gonna cut through to that bastard, Mercier," Taddeo snapped as he began to move toward the shed. "Only thing good for cutting is a vibroblade!"
Lyra reacted quickly towards the pirate's threat, rushing off the porch and stepping into his path. "Wait!" she cried out, holding her hands out protectively. "Wait. Please, just let me talk to him. If you hurt him, it's only gonna make things worse."
"He already made things worse by hurting me," Taddeo spat back, tapping his foot impatiently. "I'm not going to just ignore that, and neither are my boys!"
Cooper, meanwhile, leaned on the porch as he watched the argument play out. His eyes glanced at each pirate Taddeo had brought as backup. A thought occurred to him to step in and help Lyra, but he knew he would need to do so without escalating the situation. A good soldier knows when the odds are in his favor, or when they aren't. This would be a case of the latter. He had his trusty carbine by his side in case things went south, but even then, Cooper feared it wouldn't do much good against this many adversaries.
So instead, the young clone did the next best thing. He strolled on over, and stood protectively between Lyra and Taddeo. "She's got a point," Cooper turned his head toward Taddeo. "We can work things out without getting violent, but we need you to meet us in the middle here."
"And just why would I listen to you, boy?" Taddeo questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What's in it for me?"
Cooper crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned in closer. "How 'bout a promise to keep my lips sealed about what you called Lyra earlier," he whispered, the subtle threat hidden in his sly tone. "Now I get that's no excuse for Silas to punch you, but it's also no excuse to bring," Cooper paused as he glanced over Taddeo's shoulder to count the pirates standing in the lawn. "Nine pirates to our front door."
Taddeo's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head in denial. "That ain't right."
"Exactly, now maybe you and Silas could—"
"No, I meant about the pirates," Taddeo waved the teen off with his hand. "I brought eight of my boys along, I'm certain of it."
Cooper glanced around again, counting the pirates once more to make sure he hadn't slipped up. He scratched his head upon spotting one shadow in particular. "So, I'm the only one who noticed that guy hiding in the bushes over there?" He pointed toward the bushes where the stranger stood.
"Uh, that guy ain't one of mine," Taddeo answered, turning to stare at the stranger. "Honestly, I didn't even know he was there."
Cooper shivered as the mysterious man continued to stare. He couldn't see the stranger's eyes beneath the helmet and the hood that went over it, but even from where he stood, the young clone could tell those eyes didn't hold any good intentions.
Taddeo's eyes mirrored the same confusion and concern in Cooper's own. "How long has this guy been standing there?"
"Beats me," Lyra shrugged her shoulders in response.
The answer gave the pirate leader an excuse to interact with the newcomer. "Hey buddy," Taddeo waved at the masked man. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something?!"
"I'm looking for a Jedi sympathizer," the stranger spoke, his voice sounding robotic due to the helmet he wore. "He's here on this planet, I know that much. If you have him, you'll give him to me."
"Listen, I'm a reasonable fellow," Taddeo confidently replied, turning away from Cooper and Lyra to approach the newcomer. "If there's a Jedi around here somewhere, I can help you find him, but…it's gonna cost you a little up front."
"I don't bargain with criminals."
The pirate scoffed at the stranger's harsh words. "Then you're just wasting our time." Taddeo signaled to one of his men. "Get this creep outta here." The latter grinned wickedly as he approached the stranger, his blaster ready to fire.
The mysterious man reacted faster than Cooper could process, quickly twisting the approaching pirate's blaster arm to point the barrel at the Weequay's head. A flash of red pierced the darkness as the blaster shot pierced the pirate's skull. The helmeted man let the body fall unceremoniously to the ground.
"And you're wasting my time," the newcomer snapped back, stepping closer into the clearing. "Give me my target, or I'll take your heads instead."
"Who do you think you are?" Taddeo spat, raising his own blaster and signaling his men to do the same. "You think you can just come up in here when we're in the middle of something, and kill my boys?! They're family to me, and I am sorely prepared to defend them from you, and any other piece of sithspit who tries to hurt them!"
Cooper felt shivers crawl down his spine as the stranger scoffed at Taddeo's threat. The man flicked his wrist, a cylindrical object appearing in his hand.
"Then prove it!" the stranger roared.
The concealed lightsaber soared to life with a hiss, illuminating the darkness and making the man's appearance that much creepier. Cooper audibly gulped; the stranger's blade was the color of blood.
Taddeo's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the sight. "Jedi! Kill him!"
The pirates opened fire, the echoing of the blasters filling the once silent night. The man's motions were as fluid as a river, his lightsaber catching the bolts and reflecting them back at the pirates. One unfortunate pirate flew backwards as a bolt struck him between the eyes. Another could barely react as the reflected shots struck him again and again, overwhelming him.
The stranger took the opportunity to rush forward, the momentum allowing him to cleave his blade straight through one of the pirates. Another Weequay turned to smack the "Jedi" with his rifle, only for his opponent's saber to slash through the blaster, and then through the pirate's torso.
Cooper's training kicked in as he dived for cover behind one of the pirates' speeder bikes. "Lyra!" he called out amidst the storm of blaster fire and dying pirates. "Lyra, where are you?"
"Here!" the slicer called out, hunkering down beside the boy. "What the hell is that guy's problem? Who is he?!"
"I don't know!" Cooper glanced up in time to catch a glimpse of the man impaling another pirate on the crimson blade. What in the galaxy does this guy want? Why is he here?
The boy couldn't turn his head away as the assassin bashed another pirate in the head, before swinging his blade low. An ear-piercing scream rang out as the Weequay fell over, hands grasping at the burning stumps where his legs used to be. The pirate could only crawl away for so long before the stranger plunged the blade into his victim's skull.
Cooper's eyes widened as the hunter raised its head to glare at him. The Dark Jedi removed his blade from the pirate's corpse, tightening his grip around the hilt as he began to walk toward the clone.
Lyra held her arms out protectively, eyes glaring daggers at the madman. "Stay away from us!" she cried out, inching backward as the hunter continued forward.
Sparks flew off the assassin's helmet as the sudden blaster shot ricocheted.
The clone and the slicer turned their heads in time to catch a glimpse of Silas, his scatterblaster gripped tightly enough to cut off circulation in his fingers. His vigilant stare showed nothing short of determination, as if his eyes could burn a hole through the stranger's helmet.
"Get the hell away from my wife!" Silas roared, the scatterblaster bucking as he pulled the trigger once more. The Jedi hunter stepped to the side to avoid the attack, letting out an audible growl through the nightmare fuel that was the helmet he wore.
His eyes widening at the sight, the Tethan fired again, the evening air set ablaze with golden light and heat. The madman's blade shielded him from the blaster bolts as he strutted toward the mechanic. With each thwarted shot, Silas' face grew more and more agitated. "Die! Why won't you die!?"
The activation of the scatterblaster's cooling vents caused Silas to jerk his hand away from the hot steam. He quickly prepared the weapon to fire again, but by that time, the Dark Jedi was already upon him.
The Force-augmented strike sent the Tethan soaring through the air. He painfully impacted with the dirt before rolling to a stop by one of the speeders. Cooper felt his heart drop with every second he stared. Silas' bright eyes were as lifeless as the rest of his body, a sign that unconsciousness had snatched the repairman before he hit the ground.
"Silas!" Lyra cried out, rushing to her husband's side and holding him close, as if her presence alone would be enough to wake Silas up. Cooper finally found the strength to lift his head, and caught the sinister gaze of the lightsaber-wielding psychopath. Though the Jedi hunter's eyes were concealed beneath the scratched helmet, Cooper could still feel the man's stare bore into his skull. The former cadet shook his head in denial, and in the midst of his wayward, chaotic thoughts, only one clawed its way to the surface:
It can't get any worse. It can't.
The boy reluctantly forced himself to swallow his fear as he turned to face Lyra. "Get Silas and go. I'll cover you."
"No!" Lyra defiantly shouted, clutching onto Silas. "You won't last a second. You don't even know what you're dealing with."
"No, but I've got a pretty good idea," Cooper responded, reaching for his DC-15 and taking aim at the madman. Harlow had told the clone stories of the Sith before, of how their desire for power above all else placed them into conflict with the Jedi for centuries. But the former cadet had figured they were just stories. He hadn't considered the possibility that he would even meet a Sith, let alone try to fight one.
Cooper kept his blaster trained on the Jedi hunter, only breaking the silence once he heard Lyra drag Silas and herself away from the chaos. "Who are you?!" the boy defiantly shouted, his knees wobbling despite his best attempts to keep his fear hidden from his adversary. "What the hell do you want?"
The masked madman ignited his blade once more, and let out a deep chuckle. "I just got what I wanted…you."
Cooper took the answer as his chance to attack, letting off several shots from his blaster. Just as he had with the pirates, the hunter parried the bolts easily, taking the opportunity to hurl a reflected bolt back at the young clone. Cooper let out a yelp as the bolt pierced his shoulder, his face contorting into a grimace as he tried his best to block out the jolts of pain lancing throughout the affected area.
The Dark Jedi leapt toward the boy, the blood-red saber poised to stab. Cooper threw himself to the side as the blade plunged into the dirt, quickly recovering and aiming at the hunter's head. The assassin reacted quicker than the former cadet could process, extending his hand outward. Cooper found himself dragged against his will toward his opponent, where a fist waited to slam into the clone's head. As his unfortunate target lay groaning on the ground, the hunter grabbed ahold of him, and used the momentum to hurl the boy into the side of the shed.
Cooper groaned as his unprotected back harshly collided with the shed wall. He painfully took in breath after breath, blood dripping from his nose as he struggled to stand. Great. So, on top of everything else, some rogue Force-wielder now wants me dead. Why do you hate me, universe? Why?
"Still want to fight, I see," the Jedi hunter spoke up, his saber carving into the dirt as he slowly strode towards the boy. "You could've made a great soldier, after all. Why would you give that up? What Jedi is worth throwing away everything you've ever known?"
Cooper noticed the headlights long before his adversary did.
The landspeeder's abrupt impact proved more than capable of sending the renegade Jedi rolling along the ground. Cooper breathed a sigh of relief and retrieved his blaster with fear-numbed hands, thankful that the mysterious assassin was now as far away from him as possible.
"Cooper! This way!"
The desperation in Lyra's voice was enough to spur the young clone to action. He sprinted toward the landspeeder and scrambled inside. Lyra's position in the pilot's seat, combined with Silas' unconscious body in the back, showed that the couple had been lucky enough to avoid getting hurt further. The boy craned his neck just in time to see the assassin climb to his feet.
"Gun it!" Cooper panicked.
Lyra obeyed the demand, the speeder lurching forward. Cooper didn't realize he was holding his breath until the stranger was out of sight. He sat back down, eyes worriedly cast on Silas' unconscious form. The wide, oozing cut on the side of the mechanic's face showed that he hadn't walked away unscathed.
Cooper's shoulder flared with pain as he shifted in his seat, reminding him that he had his own injuries to worry about. His eyes widened as his hand, which had been pressed against the wound, pulled back stained red. The clone grimaced. Had he been wearing any sort of armor, the wound would've been much less dire.
The boy turned to face Lyra. Her white-knuckled hands throttled the steering controls, and her icy gaze remained on the road. "What happened back there?" she stammered. "Who the hell was that guy?"
Cooper bit his tongue, hoping to avoid further scaring the couple by telling them the truth. "Is Silas going to be all right?" he asked instead, looking to the woman for support.
"He's alive," she responded, her voice wavering with relief. "But he took a beating back there. I'll try to patch him up once we get somewhere safe. Same goes for you."
"Any ideas on where to hide?"
"Yeah, I know a place."
Lyra turned her attention back to her piloting, the concern never leaving her eyes. Cooper lowered his head, absentmindedly rubbing his hands together to keep his thoughts occupied. Try as he did, though, he couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering back to that Jedi hunter. What did he want with me? Did the Empire send him? How were they able to find me so quickly? The clone let his head rest against the seat, and hoped that wherever Lyra was taking them, it would be hidden from the Empire's gaze.