"Kid? C'mon, open your eyes."

The rough sensation of a hand on Cooper's shoulder compounded Silas' voice. The teen reflexively swatted at the hand, eyes opening to colored blurs. "Silas?" he spoke, quickly rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Kid, you awake?" Silas spoke hurriedly, placing a hand on the clone's back to help him to his feet. "Lyra needs us in the cockpit. Let's get going."

Cooper reached for his jacket, pulling it on as he followed Silas up to the cockpit. We're here already? About time. Sooner I can find and warn Harlow about Third Brother, the better.

"Lyra? What's happening?" Silas asked as he entered the cockpit. "Is everything all—what the hell?"

Cooper's eyes widened as he came up behind Silas, taking in the scene before him. The conga line of Star Destroyers stood as a barrier to the freighter approaching the planet. No. No, how is the Empire already here? "Dammit," he cursed under his breath, eyes looking to the two Tethans for support. "We're so close."

"Okay, honey," Silas started, his voice calm despite the situation before him. He leaned over the pilot's seat. "How do you want to handle this?"

Lyra took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "No way we're getting past that blockade unless we have a clearance code. I can try to slice into an Imperial terminal to get one."

Cooper raised a skeptical eyebrow. She wants to slice an Imperial terminal? "You sure about that?" he asked, uncertainty showing in his tone. "It sounds risky."

"It's riskier not to try it," Lyra added, shaking her head. "They might think we're hostiles otherwise."

"Lyra, I'm serious about this. If you fail in slicing those terminals, they'll lock you out and corrupt the data. Not to mention the Empire will know something's up."

"I don't like it any more than you do, but we might not have any other options here," Lyra spoke up, putting her foot down on the matter. "Let me see that datapad of yours."

Cooper reluctantly handed the pad over with white-knuckled hands. Lyra's gotten us out of sticky situations before. I don't know if she'll get us out of this one, but it might be the only option we've got. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

"I've had some practice," Lyra reassured, keeping her gaze focused on the task at hand.

The clone nodded his head in understanding, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair. Lyra quickly connected the datapad to a port in the ship's systems, and pulled up the slicing program.

Cooper, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed on the imposing blockade. The Empire's not screwing around. How the hell were they able to occupy this planet so quickly? Then there was the matter of the terminal Lyra was attempting to slice into. It's one thing to slice into run-down computers, but slicing into a Venator? She may as well be trying to disarm an active landmine.

"There," Lyra pointed out, grabbing Cooper's attention. A map of the blockade appeared on the datapad. One Destroyer in particular stood out, courtesy of a highlight blinking over its shape. "One Destroyer's terminals didn't update properly. If I can pull up a code from the systems, we should be in good shape." The woman imputed another command on the device. The program responded instantly, sneaking through the Venator's firewalls. All the fugitives could do now was wait while the program searched for a clearance code.

The roar of ships overhead alerted the fugitives. Lyra and Cooper looked up in time to spot a pair of Imperial V-Wing starfighters flying alongside the freighter. Cooper balled his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. They know we're here. We need that code now!

"Unidentified freighter," the voice of an Imperial officer sharply spoke through the commlink. "You are entering Imperial territory. Please transmit proper clearance codes."

"Lyra," Cooper warned, eyes widening as they gazed at the fighters intercepting the fugitives. "Any time now."

"I'm working on it!" Lyra spoke up.

"Freighter, you are entering Imperial territory," the officer chirped over the line. "Transmit codes or we will open fire."

The program came to a halt, yielding the results of the slicing attempt. With the correct clearance code on hand, Lyra fumbled for her commlink. "Sorry about the wait," she hastily said. "Code took longer than usual to pull up. Transmitting now." She sent the code to the Destroyer with the press of a button.

"No way this is gonna work," Cooper deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm beginning to think this may have been a bad idea."

"Oh, it'll work," Silas quipped in an attempt to lift the boy's spirits. "We just need to give it time. Lyra's done this before."

A smile graced Lyra's lips at her husband's encouragement, but Cooper knew encouragement could only get them so far. Either the Imperials are gonna accept the code, or they're gonna shoot us down. We need to be prepared either way.

The crackle of commlink static pulled Lyra back to reality. "Code's slightly outdated, but it still checks out," the voice of the Destroyer captain informed. "You're clear to land in Port 17B in Tamwith Bay. We'll have an officer follow up with you from there."

"Understood. Thank you." Lyra ended the transmission, allowing a relieved sigh to escape her lips. She turned to her companions. "We're through."

Cooper nodded his head in approval. "I know this is the only lead we have, but I have no idea where to even start looking. It's not like we can just ask the first people we see."

"If there's a blockade, then something must've caused it," Lyra mused. "Let's focus on landing safely, and then we'll take a look around, find out what's going on."

"Okay," the young clone replied, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He kept his gaze on the viewport as the freighter began to enter Raxus' atmosphere. That whole thing with the blockade was cutting it close. We need to be careful around here.

The crisp smell of smoke jolted Cooper out of his thoughts. He leaned back in his seat, squinting in an attempt to see through the clouds surrounding the ship. "Does anyone else smell something burning?"

Lyra gave the air a sniff, eyes lighting up in confirmation. "Yeah." She turned to face Silas. "Please tell me our engines are fine."

"I checked them over while you and the kid were busy," Silas defended, raising his hands. "If there's something burning, it's not on our ship."

Cooper tried his best to make out his surroundings. The thickening air engulfed the freighter, and Lyra tensed her hands in case any swift action would be necessary.

The fugitives' eyes widened as the source of the smoke finally came into view.

Buildings crumbled and burned, and multiple pillars of smoke sent a beacon to any faraway traveler as to what had occurred. Cooper placed a hand over his nose in an attempt to keep the foul smell of smoke and ash out of his lungs. I figured the Empire wasn't taking chances…but this? The teen turned to face his companions. Lyra's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her hands trembling as they gripping the steering controls. Silas's fury showed through the mask of stoicism he wore, the man's face gradually twisting into a cold, furious scowl.

Lyra took in a shaky breath, hurriedly brushing away the tears. "Landing port's just ahead," she spoke, her soft tone barely audible. "No signs of hostility so far…at least, not to us."

Cooper swallowed the bile building in his throat, unable to look away from the chaos the Empire had caused. "Guess this wouldn't have made a good hiding spot for a fugitive after all."

"Yeah," Silas scoffed, curling and uncurling his hands into fists to quell his frustration. "No shit." He turned to his wife. "Have we been spotted?"

"No," Lyra shook her head. "They would've shot us down if we seemed suspicious. If all goes right at the spaceport, we might be able to just walk right in."

As Cooper continued to stare at the pillars of smoke, it took everything he had to keep his heartbeat steady. To see the aftermath of a battle was one thing, but to witness the ongoing war with his own eyes was something else entirely. Harlow…please give me a sign that you made it out of this.

The clone reluctantly shoved his thoughts to the side as the freighter began its landing sequence. The ship gave a sudden jolt as it touched down. Lyra immediately shot to her feet and began the walk to the entrance, only pausing to make sure Cooper was following her.

The boy's pace slowed as he glanced at the obstacle in his path. An Imperial officer locked eyes with the two, a skeptical expression on the man's face. He began to approach the fugitives, the two clone troopers flanking him following suit. Just have to make it past these guys…

"Try to stay calm," Lyra whispered in his ear. "We'll be in before you know it. Trust me."

If only it were that simple. To say that Cooper's trust in people wavered was an understatement. The last close person he had trusted was Sawyer, and it was easy to see how that had ended for the young clone. What if things go wrong? What if Lyra and Silas decide to book it and leave me? We're outnumbered and outgunned. What if—

A comforting hand rested on the boy's shoulder, easing his fears slightly. He turned to face Lyra, her understanding expression having caught on to Cooper's fears. "I'm nervous too, Cooper," Lyra whispered, rubbing her hand up and down his back. "We can get through this."

Cooper reluctantly shoved his anxieties to the side as the Imperials approached them. "Are you the owner of this ship?" the officer asked Lyra, pointing a finger in her direction.

"Yes, sir," the woman answered, keeping her voice neutral as she tightened her hand around Cooper's.

"What's your business here, ma'am?"

"We've got some family that lives near here," Cooper piped up, his casual tone expertly hiding the fact that he was lying. "We heard about what happened here, wanted to make sure they're doing okay."

The Imperial officer nodded in response. "Okay," he curtly said. "I'm going to need you both to hand over any weapons you might be carrying, any sharp objects, things like that."

The former cadet raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm afraid I have to insist," the officer responded, a hand hovering over his own pistol in warning. "Due to the insurgent activity in the past few months, we can't allow any outsiders to bring weapons into the city. You can pick them up when you leave."

The boy let out a sigh, begrudgingly pulling out his axe and carbine to hand to the officer. Cooper considered the Deecee an extension of himself, in a way. He'd never gone anywhere without it while on Kamino. I don't like the vulnerability of being unarmed, but we'll have to play by their rules for now.

"Thank you," the officer said, using his free hand to wave the two through the spaceport gate. "Go on ahead."

Cooper nodded in reply, a subtle smile creeping up on his face as he began to follow Lyra. Looks like we might finally be getting some—

BOOM!

The renegade clone couldn't ignore the ringing in his ears as he was knocked backward. His mind briefly registered the feeling of heat on the left side of his face. Next thing he knew, Lyra and the Imperial officer were pulling Cooper to his feet.

"Go! Get out of—ah!"

The blaster shot to the officer's skull cut off the command, sending him to the ground and causing Cooper's weapons to fly out of the dead man's grasp. The boy turned his head, jaw dropping at the apocalyptic scene before him. The checkpoint which they had just nearly walked through was now in flames, Imperials scrambling left and right as blaster fire soared in every direction. Must be those insurgents the Imps were talking about. This could've been me and Lyra…

The slicer's rough hand on his shoulder guided him back to reality. "Cooper, c'mon!" Lyra panicked, snatching the boy's weapons and tossing them in his direction. "We need to move!" She turned and sprinted back in the ship's direction, with the former cadet right on her heels.

It was only once they knew there were out of the firing line that the two slowed their pace. "So much for just walking right in," Cooper remarked, clearly annoyed at the turn of events.

"Agreed," Lyra added, her tone showing she was just as irritated. "Empire's going to lock down every single entrance to the city. We'll have to go around." She reached for her commlink. "Silas, you there?"

The commlink crackled to life with Silas' reply. "Yeah, but there's a problem. Scanners just picked up an explosion a few seconds ago."

"Cooper and I were there," Lyra confirmed, panic briefly slipping into her words.

"Holy shit. Are you two all right? You hurt at all?"

"We're shaken up, but we're safe," Cooper reassured the mechanic. "Please tell me you got the ship out of that mess."

"Imps came up and helped me take off safely…for once," Silas replied, his contempt showing in the comment. "I'll land somewhere safe and meet you guys at the capitol hall."

"No!" Lyra objected. "Imperials are on high alert. It's too dangerous. Stay put and keep an eye on the ship. Cooper and I can handle the rest."

Cooper, for his part, kept his head on a swivel, in case any more Imperials or anyone else decided to come snooping. Watch your back out there, Sawyer had instructed him. The enemy won't think twice about fighting dirty. The young clone rested his finger on the trigger, scrubbing his eyes as the lingering smoke caused them to water.

Even as he blinked back tears, he could still catch the sudden movement out of the corner of his blurred vision.

Cooper raised his carbine, but the newcomer's reflexes were quicker. A weight abruptly slammed into the boy's chest, knocking him to the ground and forcing the air out of his lungs. The young clone wheezed, a mixture of the trauma and the smoke sending him into a brief coughing fit. A surprised shout from his friend forced him into action. He snatched his fallen blaster, his instincts taking over as he took aim at his adversary.

The teen forced himself to take a deep breath at last. It wasn't an Imperial. Cooper could tell from the rugged combat armor, the open helmet stained with smoke. The man's worn, soot-stained hands held a E-5 carbine, its barrel currently pointed at Lyra's sprawled form. Cooper's eyes narrowed with contempt as he spotted a hexagonal insignia on the insurgent's shoulder pad, the symbol of the Separatist Alliance.

As he kept his weapon trained on the soldier, Cooper noticed Lyra's trembling hands reaching for her commlink. The Separatist cocked his blaster in warning. "Don't even think about it," he shouted, keeping his blaster aimed at Lyra's head.

"Take it easy," Lyra snapped back, rubbing the area where the soldier had smacked her. "We're not Imperials. We're just looking for someone."

"Then prove it!" the officer shouted, briefly turning his distrusting gaze towards Cooper. The insurgent's eyes narrowed as they landed on the blaster pointed squarely at his face. "Tell the boy to drop his weapon!"

"How bout I drop you instead?!" Cooper fired back, cocking the blaster in warning. "Let her go!"

"Cooper," Lyra turned her head to face him, her eyes ridden with a mixture of fear and concern. "He's got a gun to my head. Do what he says."

Cooper violently shook his head in response. "No way in hell," he shouted, keeping his gun aimed at the insurgent. "I'm not letting this psycho hurt you."

"Look, I'm not trying to hurt your friend," the Separatist calmly stated, carefully turning his pistol away from Lyra. "You say you're not Imperials, and I want to believe you on that. But I need to see with my own two eyes that you're not a threat."

The clone's thoughts raced every which way as he stared down the militia soldier. On one hand, Cooper had every right to ignore the rational side of his brain, seeing as how the soldier aimed a blaster at Lyra without a second thought. On the other hand, the insurgent was no longer aiming that blaster at Lyra. As much as I hate to admit it…the Seppie might have a point. If he's willing to lay off of Lyra, I need to be willing to calm down.

After a moment's hesitation, Cooper lowered his carbine.

The militia soldier's stoic face softened, a sign that he had accepted Cooper's response. The older man reached for his commlink. "General…I picked up a couple stragglers," the insurgent spoke nonchalantly, holstering his gun. Cooper's ears could barely pick up the chatter from the commlink as the mysterious general replied. "Yes sir…" the insurgent responded, turning his cautious gaze to Cooper. "One of them is armed, but they say they're not Imperials…Sir? General, this kid pointed a kriffing blaster at my head…" The chatter picked back up once more. Cooper figured the general said something the insurgent didn't like, since the older man let out a defeated sigh, running his free hand over his face. "Understood, sir. I'll bring them in."

With that, the rugged soldier placed his commlink back in his pocket, and reached out a hand to Lyra. "Our commanding officer wants a word with you two."

Lyra reluctantly allowed the captain to pull her to her feet. She narrowed her eyes, unconvinced at the man's words.

The captain inhaled sharply through his nose, his gaze softening. "I'm sorry about hurting you, really. I'm just on edge. Hell, everyone's on edge."

The Tethan's face gradually softened. "I know what that feeling's like," she spoke up, a hint of compassion in her tone. "I accept your apology. Just try to be aware of your surroundings next time, got it?"

The Separatist nodded his head in understanding, turning his gaze to Cooper. "No hard feelings, kid," he sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I probably would've done the same in your position."

Cooper kept a hand in reach of his blaster. Like I'm willing to accept a half-hearted apology from a Seppie insurgent. It had been drilled into his head to never let his guard down during a battle. Given the evidence of a battle surrounding Cooper and Lyra, the teen figured that same logic could apply here as well.

"Spread out! Check for survivors!"

The unseen voice caused all the fugitives' eyes to light up. The Separatist paced around the group's hiding spot, blaster ready to fire in case anyone came snooping. The insurgent hastily turned back to the two fugitives, his eyes wide with panic. "Look, we're both screwed if the Empire finds us. I don't think you want to be standing here when that happens. I overheard you mention the capitol hall. I can get you there safely, but I need you to trust me."

As Cooper and Lyra glanced over the captain's shoulder, the boy could just make out the beams of the Imperials' flashlights scanning the area. He scowled. I hate to admit it, but the Seppie might have a point. If they see us with this guy, that's it. Game over. We can't let that happen. Cooper let out a sigh and turned to the militia soldier. "Which way?" he asked, his weary tone a sign that he hadn't made his decision lightly.

The insurgent's lips parted into a grateful smile, and he began the long trek back to the capitol building, only pausing to make sure Cooper and Lyra were following close behind.

The inside of the capitol hall bustled with activity. Soldiers crowded the spacious building, their combined chatter echoing across the ceiling. As Cooper and Lyra followed the captain, the young clone couldn't help but notice the soldiers they passed. Each and every one of them stared at the newcomers, fingers vigilantly poised over their blasters' triggers.

The captain craned his neck in time to catch the fugitives' worried faces. "Don't worry about them," he sincerely spoke, his stride slowing. "Everyone's on edge around here. They have been since the Imps showed up."

Cooper turned his head away as another militia soldier cast a snide glare in his direction. "If the war's over, then why do these guys look like they're ready to shoot me?"

"They're not paranoid of you, they're paranoid of the Empire," the captain bluntly replied. "A lot of our fighters here are former Separatists. They were targeted by the Empire the moment the war ended. Payback's a bitch, am I right?"

The young clone instinctively reached down for his carbine, taking comfort in the simple fact that the trusty blaster was by his side. Here's hoping these guys don't see me as just another Imperial. We have a common enemy in the Empire, last I checked.

The command center easily distinguished itself from the rest of the scenery. The holotable glowed with a hologram of the city, a group of militia lieutenants gathered around the image. Other soldiers sat on crates or in chairs that only reinforced the cluttered atmosphere. The only sounds which contrasted with the soldiers' talking were the scraping of cleaning brushes on blasters, or the pained moans from the injured as they awaited treatment.

Assisting with all the planning was an Umbaran, his eyes focused on the holotable as the men gathered around it relayed their plans for battle. The pale man's posture straightened once he lifted his head to find the captain heading towards him.

"General," the captain stated, standing at attention. "These are the civilians I spoke about earlier, the ones we found in those woods."

The Umbaran craned his neck, his emerald eyes staring vigilantly at each of the fugitives. The general's muscles tensed as his eyes landed on Cooper, making the boy feel even more like a womp rat in the headlights. People have been glaring at me since I got here. I suppose one more wouldn't make a difference.

"Thank you, Captain," the general graciously spoke, his accented tone distinguishing his voice from the others in the room. "You are dismissed."

The captain nodded and turned to leave. The Umbaran's lips curled into a smile as he examined the fugitives. "Where are my manners?" he snidely spoke, letting out a chuckle as he offered his hand for an introduction. "General Tay Sekel, at your service."

"Lyra Mercier," Lyra spoke up, accepting the friendly gesture. "I'd introduce my husband, but he's back at the ship."

"I can say without a doubt it's nice to see some new faces in here," Sekel added, clasping his hands behind his back. His eyes glanced back at Cooper, the stare calculating despite the Umbaran's relieved face. "Just who might you be, young man?"

"I'm with Lyra," Cooper spoke up, stepping forward to face the general. "Name's Cooper."

The Umbaran smirked, shaking his head in amusement as a chuckle escaped his lips.

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

"Actually, yes," Sekel replied, turning his gaze back to Cooper. "A clone trooper's not trying to kill us for once."

Cooper felt his heart sink at the statement. He knows what I am? How? "I don't think I've done anything to give you that impression," the teen cautiously said.

Sekel's smile never wavered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You didn't need to," the general confidently remarked. "I've met clone troopers before. And unlike a lot of the newer Imperial forces these days, I don't forget that face so easily. Here's what I don't get, though. Most clone troopers want us dead these days. Yet you've been standing in my presence for the past minute now, and you haven't tried to kill me yet, which begs the question. Why are you here?"

Cooper kept his eyes locked on to the general and watched for any sudden movements. "C'mon," he scoffed, sitting down in a nearby chair. "You saw your men earlier. They sound like they got a bone to pick with me."

"I'm not here to judge, young man," Sekel reassured the boy, placing his hand on the former cadet's shoulder. "Anyone who isn't an Imperial is all right in my book. Besides, we could use all the help we can get if we're going to push the Empire back."

"I'm not here to get involved in your war," Cooper hastily spoke up, pulling away from the Umbaran. "I'm looking for an old friend of mine. I found a fuel log that said she had recently traveled here, and I was hoping to find her."

"Well, I hate to disappoint, but you and your friends got involved in this war the moment you set foot here," Tay replied, sitting down wearily in a chair across from the clone. "You've likely noticed by now that the Empire doesn't discriminate when it comes to wiping out any resistance."

"How long have you been fighting?" Cooper asked, leaning forward in his own seat in interest. The more I know about this guy's situation, the better chance there'll be that he has something that can lead me to Harlow.

"Ever since the war officially ended. We'd hoped for reinforcements to help regain the momentum, but the Imps took over the communication relay when they took the outer city. What supplies we have will hold out for another few days if nothing changes. We're on our own, I'm afraid."

Cooper barely heard Lyra stand up. "Not completely," the slicer spoke up, her optimistic tone briefly lifting the mood. "We might have some supplies back in the ship."

The clone stayed where he was, a light bulb popping in his head at the Tethan's words. "How about we work things out, then?" Cooper suggested, cracking a smile and looking Sekel in the eye. "We'll head back to the ship and grab whatever supplies we can find. In return, I need you to tell me all you know about this friend I'm looking for. Deal?" The young clone offered his hand to the general.

The Umbaran stared at the outstretched hand, likely musing over the former cadet's offer. Can't say I blame him. If a random stranger had approached Cooper and offered to make a deal with him, the boy would've hesitated, too.

Cooper had just been ready to pull his hand back as a silent answer to his own offer. The only thing stopping the clone was Sekel's hand accepting his own. "Yeah," Tay answered, nodding his head in agreement. "If you and your friends are willing to help us, then I am definitely willing to listen." He turned to Lyra, desperation shining on the Umbaran's face. "You're certain your ship has supplies?"

"Maybe," Lyra corrected, leaning on the holotable. "Lot of stuff on that ship is junk and scrap metal, but we did find some food in storage. Ship's got a couple of medkits on it. I think I even saw a couple of speeder bikes in the port cargo bay."

The general nodded gratefully, the desperation refusing to leave his eyes. "It'll have to do for now. Do you want me to send some soldiers with you?"

Lyra shook her head. "We had some Imperials pat us down for weapons the moment we landed. Sending your men will only make us look even more sketchy. We'll be back as soon as we can." The two made for the door, with Cooper only looking back long enough to spare the militia soldiers a parting glance.

The tall trees lined the forest like soldiers standing at attention, making the trail the two explored even more narrow. Several birds soared through the crowded forest, their chirps and songs echoing through the wood. It was as if the forest was immune to the chaos in the city. The clone breathed a content sigh. Gotta say, I could've used a walk through the woods, given how stressful it was before.

Lyra craned her neck to cast a smile back at her companion. "Pretty, ain't it?" she agreed, letting out a chuckle as she hiked on. "We had forests like this back on Teth. There was a small grove behind our house that our son loved to explore."

The former cadet strode on behind her. "I bet your son had some big dreams growing up," he pondered aloud.

"Yeah, he did," Lyra replied. "Torvald said he wanted to be a scientist." She slowed her pace, her eyes looking up in thought, before she turned to Cooper. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What did you want to be when you grew up?"

The clone let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders in response. "I didn't get to choose. The long-necks, the trainers, and even my own sergeant set me down the road to becoming a soldier."

"Nah, I don't mean what you were meant to be," the Tethan waved off his previous statement. "Just pretend for a moment that you're not a former clone trooper. What do you want to be?"

Cooper entertained the question. The thought of being anything other than an expendable soldier certainly appealed to him. Initially, he thought about ignoring the question. Sawyer's told us time and time again that being in the Grand Army is our duty. That's why I was created to begin with. The more Cooper thought about it, though, no one had ever asked him if he wanted to fight and die for a Republic he'd only heard about.

"Well…" the boy pondered, "I did see some long-necks playing a piano once. Maybe I could've done something like that."

Lyra smiled, clearly entertained by the suggestion. "That does sound nice. If we ever come across a piano, I might have to ask you to play a little bit."

"Eh…no thanks."

"C'mon, I promise I won't laugh."

"I doubt I even know how to play."

"Cooper, pleeease…" Lyra practically begged, nudging his shoulder playfully. "I could teach you how to play."

The teen let out a chuckle. "If that's the case, then maybe I should get Silas to teach you how to shoot," he commented, flipping the subject around on his friend.

Lyra blew off the comment with a wave of her hand. "I'm not the best shot with a blaster," she sincerely said.

"Well, I've still got some shooting skills I could improve on, too," the clone optimistically quirked up. "Maybe it could be a learning experience for both of us. What about you? What did you want to be?"

"Well, let's see," Lyra pondered, her free hand playing with her hair as she thought it over. "You know, I always wanted to be a pilot. My dad used to take me for joyrides in this old starfighter of his. I'd ask where he was going, and he would say, 'Wherever the galaxy takes me. Wanna come along?' I'd always wanted to explore the stars like he did."

"I can relate to that a little," Cooper said, a smile forming on his face. The clone had lost count of the number of times his brothers had encouraged him to complete his training so he could leave Kamino and explore the galaxy. It had been a dream of his to go to different worlds, to get a tiny glimpse into how the larger galaxy lived while he and his brethren were off fighting the Separatists. Guess my dream came true, just not in the way I expected. "So, did you end up taking up that dream?" he continued, hoping to distract himself from any more somber thoughts of home.

"I tried, believe me, I did," the slicer called back, her stride never wavering. "But then I met Silas, and then my dreams changed. I did borrow my dad's old starfighter and try to take my son exploring when he was a kid, but…you know what? Can we talk about something else?"

Cooper shrugged his shoulders, but otherwise made no effort to respond. Silas wasn't kidding. She is sensitive about her son, but why? What happened to him to make his parents the way they are now?

The clone had just opened his mouth to comment on Lyra's behavior when his eyes spotted the ship. Cooper could barely make out Silas through the dense forest. The mechanic's back was turned to the two as he continued to fiddle with the ship.

"Hey," Lyra called out.

The sound caused Silas to turn towards his wife and friend. "Back so soon?" he pointed out, his confusion showing in his tone.

"We made contact with some friends of Harlow's in the city," Cooper began, sitting down next to the crate of tools Silas was using. "They said they'd be willing to help us out in exchange for supplies."

"Good to hear," the mechanic said, setting his hydrospanner down on the crate next to his scatterblaster. "Sooner you get that lead of yours, the sooner Lyra and I can get the hell outta here."

Cooper nervously scratched the back of his head. Oh, c'mon. Don't leave. Who will I have to keep me company if you're gone? "Honestly, I kinda enjoy your guys' company."

Silas let out a deep chuckle, and playfully smacked the teen on the shoulder. "I'm just messing with you, kid. We ain't gonna just leave you here."

Cooper sighed in relief. These guys have been the only company I've known since I ran off. He couldn't see himself taking Silas or Lyra for granted, especially after they had helped him get this far to begin with. Silas and Lyra took me in like their own son. They offered to help fix my ship. They saved me from that Jedi hunter and Taddeo. I likely would've failed ten times over if it weren't for them.

"If anything, we need to stick together now more than ever," Lyra spoke up, turning her worried gaze to Cooper. "I don't know about you, Cooper, but something about that Umbaran bugs me. Are you sure we can trust him?"

Cooper lowered his gaze to the ground as he thought it over. I get where she's coming from. I wouldn't trust a Separatist either, much less one as suspicious as an Umbaran. Cooper had followed most of the war throughout his youth. He'd heard nightmarish stories about the Republic's disastrous campaign on Umbara, where lies and deceit had been just as deadly as the cunning and weaponry of the Umbaran militia itself. As much as we have doubts here…I don't want to give up. I can't give up. He turned his solemn gaze to Lyra. "If we want to find Harlow, then we might have no choice but to trust him, at least for now." A lopsided grin split the boy's face. "And hey, if anything goes wrong, I promise I'll watch your guys' backs."

"What are you doing out here?"

The new voice caused all three heads to whip around towards the source. Cooper's eyes widened at the sight of five Imperial troopers, all with blasters pointed in their direction. Great. How are we gonna get past these guys?

Silas was the first to react to the soldiers' unexpected presence. "Hey," he called out, beginning to walk towards them.

"Stop!" one of the troopers ordered, holding his hand out in an attempt to halt Silas' movement.

"Look, our ship took a beating earlier," Silas explained, continuing to walk towards the troopers. "We could use some help."

The Imperials readied their blasters in response to Silas' actions. "I said stop!" the captain barked. "Hands where I can see them! All of you!"

Silas calmly put his hands in the air, his actions encouraging Cooper and Lyra to follow suit. "Look, there's no need to get violent, okay?" Silas spoke, carefully choosing his words. "We're just getting supplies and fixing up our ship."

"And you're doing that all the way out here?" the captain interrogated, his skeptical tone refusing to budge from Silas' words.

"You and your troops have every spaceport locked down," Lyra retorted matter-of-factly. "You've seen what's going on in the city. Why the hell would we want to fix the ship there?"

"I know what you boys are thinking," Silas backed up his wife's statement. "We ain't with those guys, we swear it."

"I'll determine that for myself," the captain sternly replied, reaching for the commlink in his helmet. "Sir, we've made contact with three civilians outside city limits. Two of them are armed. Possible insurgent activity, please advise…"

Cooper tuned out the officer's words as he eyed the soldiers. His mind raced desperately to find a way out before the situation escalated. Five clone soldiers, all armed with Deecee's. One of them has a 15A rifle. Getting past them isn't gonna be easy. As much as the renegade clone wanted to speak up in his own defense, there was still a chance that doing so would draw unwanted attention. Going for any of his gear was out of the question. Any sudden movements would only cause the Imperials to panic and shoot them all.

The cylindrical devices tossed at the feet of the troopers and the fugitives caused Cooper's eyes to bulge out of his head. Grenades! Blast!

The clone's feet sprung to action. His tackle caught Lyra off guard and allowed Cooper to protectively throw them both further away from the thermal detonators. Silas reacted next, eyes darting between his two friends and the grenades, before he threw himself clear away from the detonators. The troopers panickily raised their blasters to fire at the fugitives, but by then, it was too late.

Cooper's brain didn't initially register the force of the explosions. It did, however, register the force of his head smacking into a stray crate, and the unconsciousness that shortly followed.

Hey guys. For anyone who's been following this story, I know it's been a long, long time since I updated. A lot of things came up with life, and on top of it all, I've been pursuing some other fanfiction projects as well. Thankfully, most of those projects are done now, so I'll be back to writing this in no time. Anyways, thanks for the support, and I hope everyone has a great day! :)