Cooper strained to get a breath in as he continued to reach for his weapon. I can't die down here. Not like this. The harder Cooper reached, the more he gasped for air. The more he gasped for air, the more the droid's digits dug into the clone's windpipe.
There's always two options when it comes to the fear you're facing. You can either give in to that fear, or you can fight it.
The words his Commander had spoken to him over a year ago echoed in his head. Cooper's mind briefly flashed back to his days training under Commander Thornton's leadership. The exercise had nearly been a disaster that day. Even after all these months, the teen could still recall the dull ache of one particular training droid's blows, the way his form trembled as the droid had towered above him, ready to deal a finishing blow. The flash of light as Harlow's ignited saber had cleaved the machine in two.
It was natural for fear to take a hold of anyone, and the clones were no exception. No amount of programming or genetic modifications could've completely eliminated the chances of Cooper having a panic attack during that particular exercise. Harlow had sat the cadet down afterward. Cooper could still remember how Harlow had sat still while he'd struggled to breathe, how she had given him time to breathe before addressing him. "You can overcome this," she had told him. And he had believed her to the point where he'd been willing to give the exercise another try.
You're stronger than this. If you could overcome your fear then, then you can rise above it now. Fight the fear.
Cooper focused his attention back on the commando droid currently choking the life out of him. He began to reach for the hatchet once more, the droid's grip tightening by the second.
Fight it.
He was close enough that he could barely touch the weapon with his fingertips. He reached further.
Fight it!
After a moment's struggle, Cooper finally grasped his weapon.
The hatchet blade connected with the battered droid's neck, the force of the blow eliminating the hold on Cooper's throat. The boy lashed out with his foot, catching the machine off guard, before bringing the vibroweapon down on the droid again and again. He only allowed himself to catch his breath once the battle droid was in pieces.
Cooper turned his head in time to catch Silas' own victory over his opponent. A blast from the mechanic's scatterblaster tore the commando droid in two. Even then, the crippled machine inched toward Silas as best as it could, before a stomp from the Tethan's boot put the droid out of its misery. "You all right, kid?" he asked, leaning on the wall to catch his breath.
The clone hastily nodded, pulling out his commlink with trembling hands. "Lyra, how's the power for that door coming?" he worriedly asked, his free hand tightening around the axe handle.
"I'm going as fast as I can," Lyra replied, her weary tone contributing to Cooper's suspicions that Lyra's hacking skills were not easily earned. "Is something wrong?"
"You might want to hurry with that door," the former cadet stammered. "We're not alone in here."
Cooper kept his eyes fixed on the shadows as he placed his commlink back in his pocket. He slung his axe over his back and reached for his blaster carbine. The Deecee will do a lot better against these clankers than the axe will. No need to hold anything back, either. While Cooper was still highly uncomfortable with killing sentient beings—his stomach still turned at the thought of Taddeo's grim fate—the teen had no problem taking down droids.
"The war's over, ain't it?" Silas scowled, flinching as the telltale shadow of another droid escaped his line of sight. "Why are these things still lurking about?"
"I guess some of them didn't take the hint," Cooper called back, wishing he could ignore the way his heart jackhammered in his chest. "Let's watch each other's backs."
The two fugitives kept their blasters aimed at the overarching darkness. Every sudden movement caused Cooper to shift his aim, and he prayed that Lyra's slicing wouldn't take much longer. Here's hoping that all that time spent training pays off. It had been drilled into his head from his very first training exercise that the Separatists would use battle droids as their infantry. Cooper had spent so much time training against mechanical enemies that he'd grown used to it. Can't say I'm completely used to it. That was during training. What I'm facing now is the real deal.
Cooper saw the white photoreceptors before his enemy lurched forward. The DC-15 bucked as he squeezed the trigger, a grin appearing on his face as the bolts tore the commando droid to pieces. Movement in his peripheral vision alerted him to more of the machines, and Cooper and Silas didn't hesitate to let off several barrages of blaster fire. The more damaged droids quickly fell first, their rusted and aged chassis unable to withstand the fugitives' combined assault.
What the droids lacked in armaments and durability, however, they made up for in sheer determination. The teen found it more difficult to concentrate on the more functional opponents, their acrobatics steering them clear of the bolts while propelling them further toward their targets. I'm beginning to see why Sawyer hated these droids so much.
A pained grunt from Silas caused the former cadet to turn his attention to his friend. A droid pinned the Tethan to the wall, digits grabbing ahold of the scatterblaster. Cooper took aim and fired, the damaged machine crumpling from the well-placed shot.
The weight of another commando droid slammed into the clone, forcing him to concentrate on the enemy in front of him. Cooper grasped at the droid's cold fingers as it reached for him. Focused as he was on keeping the clanker at bay, the teen never saw Silas rush forward and tackle the droid to the floor. The mechanic bashed his opponent with the butt of his blaster, before finishing it off with a shot to the head.
Just as Cooper was starting to get the hang of shooting down the relentless droids, the flickering of the overhead lights alerted him to the task at hand.
"Door's open!" Silas shouted, slamming his hand on the button frantically. "Move! Move!"
The young clone didn't think twice about following his friend through the ajar door, instinctively aiming and firing his carbine at the zombie-like droids pursuing them. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until the automatic door slammed shut.
"That…that was too close," Cooper sighed, the rush of adrenaline wearing off as he slumped to the floor. "You okay?"
"Just a bit shaken up, but I'll live," Silas responded, doubling over while he caught his breath. His hands fumbled for his commlink. "Lyra, how much further is that signal?"
"You should be coming up on the signal any moment now," the slicer confidently replied.
"Good," the mechanic stammered, taking in a huge lungful of air. "Sooner we get the hell out of this graveyard, the better." The two fugitives straightened up and continued the long trek down the abandoned corridor. "You mind telling me what the hell we just encountered back there?" Silas snapped, pausing in his stride to glance back at Cooper.
"Commando droids," the clone replied matter-of-factly. "Seppies used them as some sort of advanced infantry back during the war. They're nimble as hell, and they're just as tough."
"Dammit," Silas muttered in frustration. "Didn't think searching for a lost friend would be this kriffing dangerous."
Cooper blew off the comment, instead shifting his aim to see if any droids had followed them. He sighed in relief at the empty expanse behind him. Don't blame Silas for being skeptical about helping me out, but I can't do this alone.
Another door stood in the fugitives' path. With the power mostly restored, however, there was nothing stopping Silas from pushing the button to open it. The blast door creaked and groaned as it slid open, the age and neglect hindering its movement.
A rancid, putrid smell invaded Cooper's nostrils, catching him off guard. He groaned in disgust, covering his nose and mouth with his shirt sleeve. "Ugh. This place reeks," he retorted, tightening his grip on his blaster with his free hand. The clone's eyes widened as they took in the source of the stench: the stench of decomposing bodies. Corpses littered the derelict hangar, making the scene appear even more like something out of a scary holofilm. Flies swarmed around the bodies, constantly buzzing as they indulged in their feast.
"This should be the source of the signal," Silas said, fanning his own hand in front of his face to keep the foul smell away. "I'll check out this side of the hangar. You head up to the command center. See if we can find anything useful."
Cooper nodded his head in reply and began to explore the hangar, trying in vain to ignore the smell of death and decay. So many people dead…I hope I responded to Harlow's message in time. As the clone climbed the stairs to the command center, he struggled to ignore the dread forming its home in his heart. No Imperials. No droids. No guards who are still alive to tell us what happened here.
The door to the command center slid open, and Cooper gagged from the smell of rot as he stepped inside. He could no longer avoid the stench, especially since a dead body lay sprawled out in front of him. He only lowered his guard once he confirmed his suspicions: the only thing this hangar contained was the dead. Harlow was gone. Cooper guessed that either she had made it out before whatever incident had occurred or…
The fugitive shook his head in denial. No. She's still out there. I know she is. Why would that Jedi hunter be looking for her if she was already dead? She's alive. She has to be.
A light bulb went off in the clone's brain. Can't believe I'm actually about to do this. The boy grimaced as he flipped the corpse onto its back. A thorough search of the leader's pockets revealed only a broken commlink and a few dust bunnies.
An eerie light enticed the former cadet to look closer. His hands peeled back the corpse's tunic, grasping onto a chain and pulling it out. Cooper barely held back a gasp.
The crystal's faint glow lit up the once dark room, and Cooper cupped his hands over the top of it to conceal the light. What's a crystal like this doing here? I think it belongs to Harlow, but if that's the case, why would she leave it here?
"Cooper? You there?"
Silas' voice derailed the clone's train of thought. He quickly reached for his commlink. "Yeah, I'm here. Go ahead."
"You might want to meet me downstairs. I found something you need to see."
The transmission cut out, prompting Cooper to rush back downstairs to the hangar, where the uninvited stench of the corpses greeted him. He quickly pocketed the crystal and chain, and with them, his thoughts on what the crystal was for. I can deal with the crystal later. Right now, I should go see what Silas wants.
The distant purring of an engine reached Cooper's ears. He picked up his pace, and jogged over to the source of the noise. His eyes widened in surprise.
The interceptor's faded green paint suggested it had been here almost as long as the corpses. The cockpit sported numerous scratches and cracks, and numerous scorch marks scarred the hull. "Lookie, lookie what I found," Silas giddily said, a grin painted across his face as he tinkered with the interceptor's controls. "I reckon it's still got some juice in it."
Cooper let out a disbelieving chuckle, unable to move his gaze from the ship. Wow. Never thought I'd find something like this out here. "See if you can access the internal systems," he suggested.
The mechanic fiddled with the buttons further, his grin slowly faltering as he examined the internal ship logs. "Nothing on the navigation computer," he sighed, leaning back in the cockpit. "Must've been deleted. My best guess is whoever owned this ship wanted to stay hidden."
The clone scoffed, hesitantly taking another glance toward the corpses. "That worked out real well," he sarcastically mocked. "Anything else we can use?"
"Well, we could try the fuel log," Silas suggested, turning his focus back to the interceptor's systems. "Lyra and I track fuel logs all the time. We use them to try and figure out where any broken ships come from." He quickly pulled up the log on the ship's targeting computer. "Anything look out of place?"
Cooper squinted to get a good look. Three recent planets. Coruscant, Raxus, Utapau. His best guess was that whoever had owned the fighter had stopped on Utapau to refuel. That explains why we found this ship here. Coruscant was also a common place for a Jedi starfighter. The Jedi Temple was there, after all. As for Raxus, however, the teen couldn't place his finger on it. Isn't that the Seppies' capitol? What would a Jedi starfighter be doing there? There's a good chance Harlow might be hiding there, right?
The clone hopped out of the interceptor. "Raxus."
"Raxus?" Silas repeated, his tone silently asking the former cadet to elaborate. "The Separatist capitol?"
"Yep," Cooper quipped. "Think about it. A Jedi starfighter probably escaped Coruscant somehow, but why would they go to Raxus first? Why not come straight here?"
"Maybe they tried to hide there, and it didn't work out," Silas rationalized, climbing out of the cockpit. "It's a bit of a stretch. Who knows what we might find there?"
"Still, isn't it worth a look?"
The mechanic let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "I suppose anything's worth getting out of this damn place." He picked his blaster up from where he left it on the floor, and began to walk back toward the open door. "C'mon. Lyra's probably wondering where we are."
Cooper followed close behind the Tethan, keeping his own blaster raised in case any more commando droids were waiting to set up another ambush. As much as he tried to keep himself focused on his surroundings, though, Cooper still could barely contain his excited thoughts. Finally. Finally it looks like we're getting somewhere.
"All units! Priority target spotted!"
The sudden voice killed Cooper's excitement faster than he could process.
The presence of an Imperial clone trooper compounded the unexpected voice as he emerged from the shadows. More and more Imperials poured out from the blackened hallways, surrounding the fugitives before they could react. Cooper and Silas kept their blasters raised, but one exchanged glance between them said it wouldn't be worth it to shoot first.
"Drop your weapons," the lead trooper barked. "Hands where I can see them."
Cooper reluctantly placed his carbine and axe down on the ground, the action informing Silas that he should follow suit. They've got us outnumbered and outgunned. There's no way we'd survive if we shoot the first bolt. Where's Lyra when we need her?
A deep, guttural laugh snapped Cooper out of his thoughts. The clone glanced toward the source of the laughter, his breath hitching in his throat. The Jedi hunter breathed audibly through his helmet as he approached, arms crossed over his chest. "Keep them in your sights, men," he informed the troopers. "If they even look like they're reaching for their weapons, gun them down."
"Copy that, Third Brother," the lead trooper responded, his aim never wavering.
"How the hell did this guy find us?" Cooper whispered to Silas, inwardly hoping that the Jedi hunter was out of earshot.
Third Brother craned his neck in the teen's direction, dashing away the hope in a heartbeat. "Simple," he responded, letting out a chuckle. "I took a good look at that message your Jedi friend sent and I wondered, 'Where could they possibly be?'"
"Predator," Silas grumbled under his breath.
"Excuse me?" the Jedi hunter growled, beginning to waltz his way over to the Tethan.
"I said you're a goddamn predator," the mechanic spat, his eyes glaring daggers at the Imperial. "You got ears underneath that helmet, don't ya?"
"You know, you've been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since I started this hunt," Third Brother spat back, revealing the hilt of his lightsaber to compound the threatening tone. "Consider this your only warning. Get in my way again, and you'll find out firsthand just how painful of a death those pirates got!" Third Brother turned back to where Cooper stood. "Tell me, cadet, do you know why I spared you back on Teth?"
"I've got an idea," Cooper answered through gritted teeth.
"Oh, good," the Jedi hunter gleefully spoke, stepping closer to the rogue clone. "Then you know what I'm after." Third Brother knelt down in front of Cooper. The clone could see his own face reflecting off the helmet's visor. "The Jedi. Harlow Thornton. Where is she?" the hunter demanded.
Cooper let out a huff in response, hoping to keep his thoughts clear in case Third Brother decided to mentally snoop. "Would it help if I told you I had no clue?" the clone challenged, projecting his tone as bravely as he could.
The clone spotted his blaster as the hunter grasped the weapon with the Force. Cooper's heart jackhammered in his chest, and he looked away to avoid staring down his own blaster's barrel. Never thought I'd find my own weapon being used against me.
A hand roughly grabbed his chin, forcing Cooper to look directly at the Jedi hunter. "You and your friends can survive this," Third Brother said, the reassuring tone ironically making Cooper's form quiver in terror even more. "I only need the Jedi."
"Yeah, and I need to cool off from being in this sinkhole, so I guess we're both out of luck," Cooper spat.
Third Brother let out a guttural growl underneath his helmet, clenching his free hand into a fist. The hand holding the blaster lashed out, striking the clone across the face. Cooper collided harshly with the permacrete, rubbing his cheekbone in an effort to soothe the lingering ache. Thank the Force he didn't go directly for the jaw, or it would've knocked me out.
"I didn't expect a runaway clone cadet to be so stubborn," the Inquisitor cruelly spoke, leaning over the fugitive. "But that's okay. I have ways of weeding out stubbornness."
"I think you'll find that stubbornness isn't the only thing Harlow taught me," Cooper fired back, his stonewall gaze locked onto the Jedi hunter's helmet.
"Well, seeing as how you're not going to talk, I think I'll ask your friend here." Third Brother turned to approach Silas, and in response, the Tethan thrashed against the troopers holding him still.
Red flashed across Cooper's vision as he briefly let his anger take control. He struggled against the troopers holding him. "You hurt my friend, and I swear I'll—"
"You'll what?" Third Brother challenged, pressing the carbine barrel against Silas' head. "You'll attack me? Because that worked out so well for you last time. So, do you want to tell me the truth, or would you rather I talk to your friend, instead?"
Cooper's eyes locked with Silas. The mechanic's Adam's apple bobbing up and down was the only sign of fear he showed, but Cooper knew better. The former cadet had experienced that fear before, back when Sawyer and the long-necks had tried to stop him from escaping Kamino. I don't know for sure where Harlow is, but I can't let Silas die.
The clone took a deep breath, and willed his limbs to stop trembling. "Okay," he solemnly said. "The truth is I have no idea where Harlow is. The truth is, I traced that same message you did back here, and I found nothing."
Third Brother cocked the blaster as a final warning. "Do not lie to me."
"You want proof? The hangar's back there," Cooper motioned behind him with his head. "All you're gonna find is some corpses and some battle droids who certainly know how to hold a grudge." Cooper's body trembled as the Inquisitor took in the statement.
The chime of his commlink interrupted the conversation. The Jedi hunter swiveled around, his sinister gaze locked onto Cooper's front pocket. Cooper couldn't show his gratefulness at the unexpected call, instead keeping his eyes lowered to the floor. Thank the Force. Lyra's gotta have some plan lined up to save us, right?
Cooper glanced up at Third Brother, raising an eyebrow as the commlink's chirping continued to fill his ears. "It's not gonna stop ringing unless someone answers," he deadpanned.
The sigh that followed filtered through Third Brother's helmet loud enough for everyone to hear. He tossed the blaster aside, snatching the commlink from Cooper's pocket and activating it.
"Guys, is everything all right down there?" Lyra answered on the other end. "I haven't heard from you two in a while."
Third Brother snorted in response, shoving the commlink back at Cooper. He activated his lightsaber, holding the blood-colored blade close to Silas' face. "Well?" the Inquisitor questioned. "Is it?"
Cooper couldn't help but entertain the thought of spitting in the eye of the Jedi hunter's demands. He imagined himself warning Lyra of Third Brother and the Empire's presence on Utapau. But one glance at Silas' frightened eyes demolished the thought instantly. He's not gonna hesitate to kill us if I tell Lyra to run.
"Yep, everything's fine," Cooper told Lyra. "Silas and I are just resting for a moment, no need to check on us."
Third Brother's lightsaber deactivated, a sign that the Jedi hunter had accepted Cooper's answer.
"Glad to hear," Lyra replied back. "But I'm checking the scanners and I'm seeing more of those run-down droids all over the place. They really seem to like the dark, so just remember to take cover if the power goes out."
Cooper raised an eyebrow at Lyra's choice of words. If she's got the cameras up and running, shouldn't she know we're in trouble? Where is she?
"Well, now that that's settled," Third Brother started, pacing towards the squad of Imperial troops. "Men, take these two and escort them back to the ship." He craned his neck to glance at Cooper one more time. "The last thing we would want is for something bad to happen to them…"
Cooper had just enough time to shiver at the Inquisitor's ironic words, before the troopers roughly pulled him to his feet. Lyra, if you've got some crazy plan to save us, now would be the time.
Cooper suddenly found his vision enveloped in darkness.
"Dammit, power's out," the lead clone trooper said. "Switch to night vision and stay sharp."
"What the hell was that, Sergeant?" Third Brother demanded, activating his lightsaber to shed some crimson light on the area.
"Sir, I've got no clu—wait. Scanners are picking up movement. It's not us."
"I want half of you men to sweep the area," Third Brother ordered. "The other half, make sure the prisoners don't try anything."
The pieces clicked for Cooper faster than he could process.
Silas' devilish grin showed that he had caught onto Lyra's plan as well. "You boys scared yet?" he jested, glancing over at the Jedi hunter. "You should be."
"Shut up!" Third Brother growled, stomping back over to Cooper. "What game do you think you're playing here?"
"Well…" Cooper coyly started, shrugging his shoulders. "I did warn you those droids know how to hold a grudge."
An agonized scream compounded the bold statement. The Jedi hunter and the clone both whipped their heads to find one of the Imperials pinned underneath a droid. Blaster fire soared toward the threat, and the bolts lay waste to the commando droid's rusted chassis.
Third Brother's head snapped up suddenly, and he whipped around, lightsaber cutting through one droid which had leapt toward him.
Cooper roughly stomped on the feet of the clones holding him hostage, breaking free of their grip as the area dissolved into complete chaos. More droids leapt and crept from the shadows, sending the Imperials into a panicking frenzy as they struggled to repel the attackers. Only Third Brother remained unshaken, his blade cleaving through any droids unlucky enough to attack him.
The young clone kept his head down as he scrambled for his weapons. One of the droids turned its attention towards Cooper, and he swung his hatchet just in time to sever the machine's head from its torso.
"Cooper!"
The sound of Silas' voice caused Cooper to turn around. He let out a sigh of relief as he spotted his friend at the base entrance. The clone mustered up all his strength and broke into a sprint. His breaths came out in sharp gasps as he and Silas retreated down the hallway. Cooper's legs ached and begged for him to stop and rest, but he refused to listen. We're not safe yet. Not while that Jedi hunter's still around.
The sight of Lyra's freighter had never before filled Cooper's heart with so much hope. The two fugitives quickened their pace. The entry ramp lowered to reveal Lyra, her arm quickly motioning for her husband and the clone to hurry.
"This way!" Lyra hollered. "Come on!"
Cooper and Silas both scrambled toward the entry ramp faster than they could process.
A cold, foreign presence gripped Cooper tightly. "Woah!" he stammered, hands latching onto the entry ramp railing. Cooper glanced back, eyes widening as he spotted Third Brother approaching the ship.
The clone continued to hold on for dear life as the Force attempted to pull him away from the freighter, away from his friends.
"Hey, asshole!"
Third Brother and Cooper both craned their necks in time to catch sight of the container Silas held in his arms. With a strained grunt, the Tethan lobbed the container as far as he could in Third Brother's direction. A suggestion from the Force stopped the container mid-air, and Third Brother chuckled in amusement.
Cooper's eyes widened as he saw the opportunity, and he reluctantly let one hand off of the railing to reach for his carbine. His remaining hand barely slipped as a result, and the clone let out a shocked cry as he nearly lost his grip on safety. He cocked the blaster, squinting as he took aim at the container. He pulled the trigger.
The recoil nearly sent the DC-15 flying from Cooper's hand, but the payoff was worth it. The canister ignited, spreading flames all around and causing Third Brother to let out a surprised grunt. The Force's presence disappeared, and Cooper quickly took the chance to escape. He slammed his hand over the button to close the ramp, letting out a relieved sigh as the entrance sealed itself.
Silas hurriedly began making his way to cockpit. "Lyra, get us the hell out of here!" he hollered.
The slicer wasted no time sprinting back to cockpit, with her husband and the clone not far behind. Lyra's hands moved as if through lightspeed. The engines roared to life, and the ship began to lift off the ground. Cooper let out a held breath as the ship broke through the atmosphere in record time.
"Lyra, is anyone pursuing us?" Silas gasped out in between breaths.
"Scanners are showing nothing," Lyra replied, eliciting a sigh of relief from the freighter's passengers. "That was too close for my liking, but it looks like you guys got what you came for."
"Okay," Silas hoarsely gasped, collapsing to the floor as fatigue settled over him. A grin split his face as he turned to face Cooper. "You hear that, kid? We made it. We're safe."
As Cooper slumped down into a seat behind Lyra, his mind drifted back to Third Brother. His thoughts raced with questions as to how Third Brother knew so much about them, how the Inquisitor had easily caught them off guard on Utapau.
Yeah, we're safe…but for how long?
Hey, guys! I know I said I was going to try to be regular in the updates, but I wanted to try and make this chapter the best it could be before posting it.
On a related note, who's itching to watch The Bad Batch? I know I am.
Anyway, thanks for being patient with me in regards to this chapter. Thanks for the support, have a great day, and May the 4th be with you!