Third Brother clenched and unclenched his fist, hoping to find some temporary distraction to stay calm. He stood and watched as the Imperial clone troopers continued to cut the door open. He gripped the hilt of his saber tightly, a sign that his patience was beginning to wear thin. "How much longer?" he ground out, keeping his gaze on the door.

"We're almost through, sir," the squad leader spoke up. He readied his blaster, and the troopers behind him followed his lead.

Third Brother groaned in annoyance. That could be my target in there. If we don't hurry, I'll be back at square one. The Inquisitor held his free hand up toward the door, calling upon the Force to aid him. The already-weakened structure groaned and shrieked as the Force ripped it the door off its hinges. A flick of Third Brother's hand sent the door flying out into the spaceport interior.

"Go, go!" the squad leader barked, filing into the open space along with his men. Third Brother hurriedly walked behind, not keen on exerting his energy on the Weequay pirates who supposedly owned the spaceport.

He had just stepped through the doorway when the roar of engines filtered through his helmet's audio receptors. He glanced up to see the freighter take off as the troopers raised their weapons. The ship was gone before any of the troopers could fire a shot.

"Damn," Third Brother cursed under his breath. He inwardly kicked himself in the shins. Should've been quicker. The more time I spend hunting Thornton's friend, the more time he has to warn her. I can't let him slip away again.

As he turned his gaze to the open space, he could tell that Cooper had been busy. Scorch marks from blasters and explosions littered the walls. A stolen Imperial construction walker lay on its side, the victim of a particularly violent explosion. Dead bodies, all of them Weequay, lay scattered throughout the area. The squad under his command had their blasters raised at any pirates who had managed to survive the carnage.

"Sir!"

Third Brother whipped his head around to see the sergeant signaling him. "What do we do with the pirates?"

"Take them into custody," the Inquisitor ordered. "Get a medic for the wounded, and set up barricades to keep the civilians out. If any of the surviving pirates resist you at all, you're clear to gun them down."

"Understood. Should I call for reinforcements to aid in your mission?"

"I would. No soldier-in-training should be capable of a feat like this without some sort of help. I want a squad of troopers and a LAAT ready to leave on my command." Third Brother took a final glance at the spaceport remains, pulling out the tracer he'd been using to track his prey. He smirked underneath the helmet.

I hold all the cards, Cooper. You can't run forever.

Lyra gazed out the viewpoint, her white-knuckled hands throttling the steering controls as the freighter finally breached Teth's atmosphere. "I think we made it," she breathed, finally relaxing her grip. We're free. We're finally free from this cursed place.

Beside her, Silas let out a relieved chuckle, only pausing to wince in pain and clutch his injured leg. "Yeah, I think so too."

Lyra turned towards Cooper, eager to invite the clone to participate in their miniature celebration. Her smile waned, however, upon spotting Cooper in the hallway between the cockpit and the lounge. The woman could tell something was off from the lack of a smile on the boy's face. He should be happy too, shouldn't he? Didn't he also want to get off this rock?

"So, how are we gonna celebrate, honey?" Silas asked, distracting the slicer from her thoughts. "I'll bet I can find us something to drink on this ship."

"If I were you, I'd be looking for a medkit instead," Lyra responded, pointing toward the charred hole in her husband's leg. I don't want to turn down a good time with Silas after what we've been through, but he's hurt, and I think something's off with Cooper. "I'm gonna go have a chat with Cooper, see how he's holding up."

"You do what you gotta do," Silas said, backing up in the direction of the hallway. "I'm gonna patch myself up, and then take a tour of this rust bucket."

Lyra tried to contain her worry as her husband limped toward the back of the ship. Better go see how the kid's faring in all of this. As she approached Cooper, she could easily confirm her suspicions that something was off. The clone's eyes blankly rested on the blood-stained hatchet, the weapon still clutched in a death grip. His shoulders and legs trembled despite his best attempts to stay still.

The slicer cautiously knelt down so she was at eye level with the boy. "You okay?"

Cooper hastily nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Lyra scoffed in response, unconvinced by the teen's answer. "Then why are you trembling so much if you're fine?"

Cooper finally locked eyes with the woman. "You don't need to—"

"Back when I was raising my son, he tried to hide his feelings from me," she interrupted. "His eyes always gave it away. Right now, I'm looking at the eyes of a boy who's scared half to death. Am I wrong?"

The clone took in a shaky breath before replying. "It's just…what happened with Taddeo…I've destroyed droids before, but…I've never killed a living being."

Lyra nodded her head in understanding. Can't say I blame him for feeling guilty, but it's not like he had any other choice. "I can't lie to you and say you had a choice in that," she spoke, her voice carrying an apathetic demeanor. "We all know Taddeo would've killed us either way."

"That doesn't make me feel better about it," Cooper sadly responded, setting the axe down and running his hands through his hair.

The slicer simply stared at the guilt-ridden clone beside her. Wow. Guess some clones actually aren't comfortable with killing people. She let out a sigh. She had to admit, she'd had trouble trusting the boy, seeing as how he was the same as the clones who took everything from her. Funny. He doesn't remind me of those bastards at all.

Lyra abruptly shook the thoughts from her head. What am I thinking? He's still one of them, friendly to us or otherwise. We still don't know everything about him, and he's got a target on his back. She distantly knew that time would tell before she could trust Cooper completely. Until then, the best she could do was watch Silas' back, and make sure neither of them got caught in the crossfire.

"Is something bothering you?"

Cooper's concerned voice derailed Lyra's train of thought. "Yeah," she said. "We have an entire galaxy to explore. What do we do now? Where do we go?"

"We need to find some place safe from the Empire," Cooper mused, eyes still lowered to the floor. "And I need to find out where to start looking for my Commander. All I've got to go off of is that message."

An idea popped into the slicer's head. Maybe that message can help us more than Cooper realizes. She reached for her backpack, hands digging around before pulling out the item she was looking for. Lyra considered the holotransceiver a lifesaver. The device was capable of tracing holograms back to their source, a useful tool whenever she was concerned on her son's whereabouts. "Let me see that datapad of yours."

Curiosity and skepticism laced Cooper's features as he eyed the transceiver. "Um, I probably should mention that the message id is encrypted," he sheepishly spoke. "My voice is the only thing that can unlock it."

"Maybe, but I think we might be able to convert it to a hologram," Lyra replied, her gaze focused on tinkering with the datapad.

"Oh. So we can use the hologram, trace the message back to the planet it was sent from. Good thinking."

Lyra didn't respond, instead pulling up the message involving the Jedi Cooper spoke of. She took out her own hologram projector. Ok. Just a button press to sync the two devices…aaannd bingo.

"Got it," Lyra responded, handing the datapad back to Cooper. "Pull up the message."

Cooper took the datapad. "Hello," he nonchalantly said, smiling as the message unlocked in response to his voice. "Okay. It's all on you now."

Lyra nodded her head in reply. She quickly synced the transceiver with the holoprojector, the device loading the results of Lyra's electronic digging.

"Where did you learn to get so good with tech?" Cooper curiously asked, briefly drawing the Tethan away from her task.

"My professors asked me to fix my school's holo-terminal systems," Lyra answered. "They were always breaking down, causing problems. Had to slice through a particularly stubborn terminal one time, and I've learned new techniques since then."

"How'd that work out for you?"

"Not bad, aside from my professors threatening to quit after the board suspended me for slicing the systems. Yeah, school was not the best experience for me."

"It could've been worse," Cooper optimistically remarked. "At least your instructors didn't threaten to kill you on a daily basis."

Lyra's jaw dropped at the awkward statement, and she momentarily let the job at hand slip from her mind. "You're kidding."

"Nope. The Kaminoans—the people who created the clones—they weren't tolerant of any failures. One of my brothers suffered a seizure after a training exercise went haywire. The only help he got was a blaster bolt to the head."

The woman gasped. By the Force. If this is how clone soldiers are regularly treated, then I'm surprised this kid didn't run away sooner. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Don't be," the boy nonchalantly replied. "It's not your fault. It's just something that happened. Any idea where Harlow is?"

"I think so," the slicer answered, taking a good look at the transceiver. "You ever been to Utapau?"

The clone shook his head. He'd heard all kinds of war stories of the soldiers who fought in the last major battle of the Clone Wars. "You're sure Harlow sent that message from there?"

"That's what the transceiver's telling me. I'll go get the ship prepped for hyperspace." With that, Lyra climbed to her feet, tossing a hopeful smile at Cooper and handing the datapad back to him, before beginning the short walk to the cockpit. Cooper stood up and followed close behind, the datapad clutched in his hand.

The cockpit offered a clear image of the stars, and the two couldn't help but stare. Lyra broke from the hypnotic sight first, sitting in the main pilot's chair. "Ship's gonna take a while to reach Utapau in hyperspace," Lyra pointed out, her hands focused on tinkering with the controls.

"Anything I can help out with?" Cooper asked, fidgeting in place as he watched Lyra work.

"Not at the moment," Lyra replied, fingers fumbling for the hyperdrive lever. Faster than the two fugitives could blink, the stars blurred as the freighter successfully made the jump to hyperspace. Lyra let out a sigh and slumped in her chair. "If you want, maybe you can find Silas and spend some time together. You both look like you could use a breather."

Cooper reluctantly nodded his head. "Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed, turning on his heel to leave the cockpit. Lyra's got a point. Maybe Silas could teach me holochess. That might take my mind off things.

Silas smirked as the holographic monster lurched forward, easily removing another one of Cooper's pieces from the holotable. The clone groaned in response.

The mechanic's grin faltered as he noticed his opponent's dismal mood. "You'll get the hang of it," he optimistically told the boy. "Everyone loses the first few times they play the game. There's no shame in it."

The clone kept his attention focused on the board. Hm…I think I'll move this guy here. He activated the switch, spurring a huge holographic beast with a club in one hand to action. The piece lumbered toward another one of Silas' pieces. Cooper chuckled as his piece swung the club at Silas' monster, avenging the beast the clone had lost moments before.

"How's that leg of yours holding up?" Cooper asked, taking a quick glance at the wound Silas had patched up before they started playing.

"It hurts like a gundark's bite, but I'll live," Silas spoke. "It's funny. I used to get hurt from working out in the shed often, and Torvald would be there to stick a bandage on it and tell me it'll get better."

"Did you and your son play games like this?" the teen asked, turning his attention back to the holotable.

"Whenever I wasn't working, yeah," the mechanic answered. "I had a tendency to let him win sometimes, just to see the look on his face."

Cooper's eyes lit up joyfully. "He sounds like someone I could be friends with. What happened to him?"

"What happened was the spice got to him," Silas explained, pausing to turn his gaze to Cooper. "You do know what spice is, right?"

"That glittery junk that screws with your head? Yeah, I've heard of it."

"Before he got addicted, Torvald was kind, honest, always willing to help out his mother and myself," Silas continued. "He wasn't the brightest in school, so he tried to use spice to improve his mental state. He got hooked on it real quick. Lyra had to start spying on him to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble. Torvald started buying large amounts of spice, and when he couldn't buy the drugs, he tried to steal them instead."

Cooper tried his best to keep his jaw from dropping. I don't like where this story is going, but I can't stop listening to it. "Did he get caught?"

"Yeah, he did," Silas grumbled, running his hand through his hair. "You know that whole deal we had with Taddeo? Torvald was the one who started it. Taddeo was extorting people for drug money, and our son didn't like the competition or the threats against me. So he trashed the whole…" he paused suddenly, eyes glancing over Cooper's shoulder.

The boy turned his head to find Lyra walking toward them. "We're nearly there," she said.

"Good," Cooper replied, shifting in his seat to face her. About time. This game was getting a bit stressful anyway. "I guess the only question now is, where do we start looking once we get there?"

"Uh, honey, where are we going, exactly?" Silas asked, his eyebrows suspiciously alert.

"Utapau," she said matter-of-factly. "I traced that Jedi's message to some old Separatist hideout there."

"Well then, you better figure out a safe place to land," Silas warned, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Empire's got a strong grip on Utapau, and the few places they don't control are nothing but ruins."

"I'll figure something out," Lyra assured him. "In the meantime, I'm gonna head back, see if we're coming up on the system."

The moment his wife was out of sight, Silas turned his attention back to the teen. "You, uh, you might not want to mention any talk of Torvald to Lyra."

Cooper raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why not?"

"It's just that she gets a little sensitive about that sort of thing, that's all," he responded, focusing his gaze back on the holochess board. "Your move."

Try as he did, Cooper had difficulty concentrating on the game. Something might be bothering Silas or Lyra regarding their son, but what? What aren't they telling me? What happened to Torvald that I'm not aware of? The clone reluctantly shrugged off the thoughts, and tried his best to put his mind at ease for the remainder of the trip.

If there was one thing Cooper didn't mind about Kamino, it was the rain. Granted, there were occasional thunderstorms which proved to be a nuisance. Other than that, however, the boy tolerated the rain, enjoyed it even. It was safe to say the rain was another thing he missed when he ran away.

As the freighter glided through the humid atmosphere of Utapau, Cooper began to miss the rain even more. The sinkhole-ridden landscape only added to the feeling that the planet had gone through a severe drought. From where he sat in the cockpit, Cooper could just make out puffs of black smoke pouring from one of the sinkholes. The aftermath of a battle, perhaps?

Lyra's eyes strained to get a closer look as she steered the ship toward the smoke. "Signal from the transceiver is a bit strong here," she mused. "That sinkhole might be our best bet."

As the slicer navigated the freighter into the sinkhole's depths, Silas placed his hand on her shoulder. "Any ideas on where to land?"

"There," Lyra pointed toward a derelict landing pad, one surprisingly clear of the debris which littered the cliffside city beside it. "No Imperial forces, from what I can gather. I reckon they haven't been able to clean up this area of the city yet. We should be safe from them, for now."

"Cooper and I can go investigate," Silas offered, hopping up from his seat and slinging his blaster over his back. "We could use some help guiding us toward that signal, though."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Lyra asked, eyes worryingly glancing toward her husband. "I don't want you getting hurt again."

"We'll be fine," Cooper called back as he followed the mechanic. "I'll be sure to watch your husband's back down there."

Lyra crossed her arms over her chest as she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I'm sure you will," she remarked, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

Cooper let out a disbelieving chuckle at the signs of his ally's mistrust. I get why Lyra's scared, but I'll be more careful this time. I can handle myself, and I'll certainly try to watch Silas' back, too. "I helped us out back on Teth, didn't I?" he snarked back.

"If by help, you mean got your ass handed to you by a Jedi hunter, then yeah, I suppose," the slicer pointed out.

"Lyra," Silas sighed, an annoyed look forming on his face as he turned to his wife. "Trust us. We'll be fine."

Bright light forced Cooper to shield his hand in front of his face as the ramp lowered. The two fugitives exited the ship cautiously, blasters drawn and held tightly in their grips.

"Look at all of this," Silas spoke, eyes drawn to the aftermath of the Clone Wars' last major battle. Cooper's jaw nearly dropped as he took in the scenery. Scorch marks littered the streets and the walls of nearby homes. A collapsed AT-TE walker struck the clone with awe the most. The hull sported numerous scars, presumably the result of damage from blasters and missiles. The walker lay tilted, its six legs having long given up the fight to support the tank's weight.

"Damn," Cooper remarked, breaking free from the sight to catch up to Silas. This place looks more like a derelict graveyard. "I'd heard stories of what happened here, but…"

"Yeah, this place gives me the creeps, too," Silas muttered in agreement. "You sure we'll find that Jedi here?"

"We better." I meant it when I said I'm not letting that Jedi hunter get to her. Not after all she's done for me.

The two walked on, trying their best to ignore the lingering smell of smoke and the rotting ruins of Republic and Separatist vehicles. Cooper turned his head away as his eyes fell upon several bodies in Phase Two clone armor. So many fallen brothers…at least they're in a better place, now. As much as he tried to show respect for the deceased clones, the former cadet couldn't stop the spark of envy from forming in his heart. For the clones who fought and died on Utapau, their fight was over. For Cooper, however, his fight was just beginning.

A battered durasteel door stood as a barricade to the men's progress. Silas strolled over to the door controls, and gave the buttons a press. A defeated sigh escaped his lips as the door's lack of movement showed there was no power. The Tethan sighed and grabbed ahold of the door's edge. "Give me a hand with this," he ordered.

The teen wasted no time in rushing over to the door and placing his own hands on the edge.

"Ready? Pull!" Silas groaned.

Cooper pulled with all his might, silently thankful that the mechanic made up for the clone's deficiency in upper body strength. Even then, the two of them strained to pull the door open. The horrendous sounds of metal scraping against metal tortured Cooper's eardrums. He still persisted, only giving in to the exhaustion in his arms once the doorway was wide enough for them to squeeze through.

The hallway beyond was pitch black, the darkness only adding to the uneasy feeling in Cooper's stomach. He gripped the handle of his blaster, hoping to find some comfort in the fact that he was armed. Silas' tense muscles, and the death grip on his scatterblaster, reminded the clone that he wasn't the only one creeped out by the scenery. Cooper's eyes scanned the shadows, and he instinctively took deep breaths in an attempt to keep the lingering fear at bay.

In…out.

In…out.

In…out.

CLANG!

The sudden disturbance caught the two fugitives off guard. Cooper raised his blaster, his breathing quickening no matter how much he tried to calm himself. "Are you sure the Empire didn't follow us in here?" he whispered, carbine aimed at the shadows.

"Let me check," Silas responded, pulling out his commlink. "Lyra, you got any scanners on that rust bucket?"

"Yeah," came the slicer's reply. "I managed to patch my way through to the security cameras, too. Most of them are destroyed or showing static, but I'll try to follow along as best as I can."

"While you're at it, scan for heat signatures. I don't want the Imps getting the drop on us."

A moment of brief silence followed, save for the occasional clicks of Lyra's fingers on her datapad's screen. "Nothing's coming up on the scanners," she mused, her tone showing she was just as confused as Cooper and Silas were. "You sure you guys didn't just imagine anything?"

"I know we heard something," Cooper insisted, reluctantly lowering his blaster. "We're gonna keep going. You just let us know if something's wrong."

"On it," Lyra confidently replied. "I'll also try to tap into the electrical grid. Maybe I can get the power back on for you guys."

The two trudged forward, eyes alert and fingers closer to their blasters' triggers than before. Cooper picked up his pace in an attempt to stay as close to Silas as possible. I thought everyone had ditched this warzone when the battle was over. Maybe some scavengers are lurking around?

It wasn't long before the two came across another door. Unlike the last door, this one appeared to be completely sealed shut. "Damn," Silas remarked, reaching for his commlink once more. "Lyra, this is the right way, isn't it?"

"The signal's getting stronger the further you two go. You guys need help?"

"Yep," Cooper immediately quipped. "Door's shut, and we can't force it open. Are we stuck here?"

A few audible taps on the slicer's datapad preceded her answer. "Dammit, yes. I'll try to restore power so you can open that door."

Another suspicious noise caused the clone to whip his head around, his hands gripping the handle of his axe instinctively. I know something's in this room with us, but what? What's following us?

"Again?" Silas questioned, hands tightening around his scatterblaster. "Who the hell is there?"

A body pouncing on the mechanic provided the answer.

Cooper turned to find Silas pinned beneath a humanoid figure. Blast! Knew we weren't alone out here. The boy raised his carbine to fire. A weight abruptly slammed into him, causing the shot to miss. Cooper swung his axe at the newcomer, only to find himself roughly thrown to the ground, the axe sliding out of reach. He recovered quickly, scrambling for his axe, but the attacker was faster. One hand latched onto the arm reaching for the bladed weapon, while the other tightened around his neck.

As the pair of arms brought the former cadet face to face with his adversary, the boy's breath hitched in his throat. His eyes widened as they stared at the white photoreceptors of the droid trying to kill him. Sparks shook from the commando droid's trembling chassis, a sign that time had already begun taking its toll on the machine. Clankers. Why did it have to be clankers? As Cooper struggled to pry the droid's digits from his throat, his mind struggled to comprehend the foe before him. The Separatists' droid army was gone, having shut down at the end of the Clone Wars. Or so Cooper had thought.

While the clone's efforts to break free weren't working, the droid's attempts to strangle him to death certainly were. Even as Cooper strained to reach for his axe, he could already feel his sight begin to close in on itself. He gasped desperately for air, trying to multitask between reaching for his weapon and prying the droid's durasteel grip from his neck.

As his strength began to leave him, Cooper desperately reached for the axe, his mind silently screaming for help…

Hey guys. Hope you're all doing okay, wherever you are. It's been a busy week for me so far. I'll try to keep the updates coming as regularly as possible. Anyways, thanks for the support, and have a nice day. :)