Shouldn't be much further now.

Third Brother pocketed the tracer, taking a hard glance at the city before him. If the data from his files was correct, it meant the Empire would be currently laying siege to this city. Apparently, there were still Separatist war criminals on Raxus that needed to be punished. The Inquisitor maintained his confident stride as he approached the Imperials' makeshift base of operations. I'm certain the men stationed here have their own issues to worry about. Maybe I can convince them to help me…

The command center doors slid open, allowing Third Brother access to the area. His calculating eyes, hidden beneath the helmet, stared at each Imperial soldier. The stationed officers' eyes followed him as he made his way over to the holoprojector, and each face showed the same surprise and confusion. Can't say I blame them. Inquisitors rarely give a warning before dropping by.

"Good afternoon, Commander," Third Brother said, leaning on the holoprojector.

The commander glanced up from his duties, eyes narrowing in confusion as he spotted the Inquisitor. "With all due respect, sir, I'm afraid your assistance isn't necessary," he spoke sincerely. "We have no reports of a Jedi sighted on Raxus."

"I was actually hoping you could assist me," the Inquisitor replied curtly. He didn't hesitate to pull up the holorecording of his target. Despite his orders, Third Brother couldn't stop himself from feeling a slight hint of pity. I must admit, I've never hunted anyone so young before. One look at the young clone's eyes might have convinced the Jedi hunter of the teen's innocence, were it not for the clear fact that the teen was currently looking to aid and abet a Jedi traitor. "I'm searching for a Jedi, and I'm convinced this boy knows where she might be hiding. Long story short, I tracked him here. I could use some help in apprehending him."

The commander scoffed in response. "And what if I say no to aiding in your hunt?"

Third Brother let out an annoyed sigh so loud one could hear it from beneath the helmet. "Indulge me, Commander," he spoke, hands clasped behind his back as he gracefully strode to where the commander sat. "This insurgent general, Tay Sekel. I hear you're having trouble taking him down."

The siege commander nodded. "I don't have that Separatist's severed head on my desk yet. Is that enough indulgence for you?"

"My friends and I will be glad to assist with your situation," the Inquisitor offered, stepping to the side and allowing his "friends" to step into the light.

The clone soldiers' stoic faces remained hidden beneath their helmets. Their tar black armor almost perfectly concealed them in the darkness, with only the red visors distinguishing them from the shadows. One of the Imperial officers audibly gulped as the lead soldier unsheathed a lengthy, hidden vibroblade from a gauntlet in his lower arm. Third Brother smirked. From what he had been told, these clone assassins had personally assisted the Dark Lord when he stormed the Jedi Temple the night the Order fell. Their nimble reflexes and close-quarters combat expertise made them perfect candidates for Third Brother's plan. The insurgents are only holding on because they're able to predict when we'll attack. Let's see how they fare when we take that advantage away from them.

"Here's the deal," Third Brother spoke up, confident in the leverage his voice's authority gave him over the commander. "You help me catch my target alive, and I'll help you kill yours."

The commander's lips curled into a smile as he locked eyes with the Inquisitor. "Fair enough. I'll send out a briefing report to my forces. We'll crush these insurgents swiftly and severely."

Third Brother let out a curt nod, opening the hologram and taking another good look at his target. I knew I was going after a cadet, but this…this is a bit much. The Inquisitor knew his orders: eliminate any Jedi and anyone aiding them. One look at the boy's face, however, was enough to plant a seed of doubt into the hunter's mind. This cadet is out in the galaxy alone, with nothing and no one to help him. Only the Force knows what he may be going through. After all, the Inquisitor could recall a time where he had been Cooper's age, alone in the wider galaxy with only his training and his wits to guide him. He could recall a time where he knew firsthand what it was like to have the people he cared about abandon him.

Try as he did, Third Brother could only do so much to keep the painful memories from resurfacing. Maybe once Thornton's been handled, I could bring the boy back alive. That might seem fair. The more he thought about it, however, the more it seemed likely that capturing the rogue clone wouldn't be an option. It was clear from what Third Brother had seen back on Teth that the boy had no intentions of giving up. He would likely defend Thornton even if it killed him. On top of that, the Empire made clear that any clone deserters were to be eliminated. Capturing Cooper alive would only prolong the inevitable. If Third Brother didn't put the boy out of his misery, surely someone else in the Empire would.

You're pretty good at running, Cooper. But sooner or later, the hunt has to end somewhere.

Given the stress of the past few hours, Cooper couldn't be more grateful for the moment of peace and quiet. While the table was packed tight and the food was scarce, the boy could still spot his friends' warm smiles as they savored the sense of calm hovering around the room. Cooper smiled as he plucked a piece of womp rat meat into his mouth. "Where did you learn to cook, Lyra?" he asked, stabbing another piece of meat with his fork to eat.

Silas raised his hand in response, his joyful grin showing he was more than happy to receive recognition for the meal.

The clone raised a surprised eyebrow. "You taught her?"

"I used to cook for her all the time," Silas explained, shoveling more food into his mouth. "But after our son was born and my repairs began stressing me out, Lyra offered to cook instead. Let me tell you, she does a better job at it than I do."

"Honey, stop," Lyra teased, playfully shoving his shoulder. Silas leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek, handing the wine bottle to her as he did.

Cooper eyed the bottle curiously as Lyra poured herself a glass. "I could use a drink too, you know?" he suggested, showing his own empty glass in the hopes that Lyra would indulge his request.

To his surprise, however, the Tethan narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Yeah, how 'bout no," she deadpanned, ignoring the annoyed sigh from the teen.

"C'mon, just let me try it."

"Oh, I'd listen to her if I were you, young man," Sekel laughed, his own concern manifesting despite the witty tone. "This wine's pretty strong. I doubt you'd like it. I'll bet ten credits you'll spit it out in less than three seconds."

"Wanna take that chance?" Cooper jested, a playful grin forming on his face. "I hope you have ten credits to spare."

Sekel smile widened as he let out a chuckle. "Fine then. It's your funeral." He quickly swiped the bottle and poured a small amount of wine before handing the glass to the clone.

The moment the wine reached Cooper's lips, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. His face crumpled up like paper as he struggled to swallow the bitter-tasting liquid. The laughter of his friends reached the clone's ears as he hastily took another swig of water to get rid of the lingering taste.

"Ugh, how can you people drink this stuff?" Cooper rasped in disgust. "It tastes like burning metal!"

"I warned you," Tay teased, holding out his pale palm. "That'll be ten credits, please."

"Says you," the clone playfully snarked back. "I didn't spit it out, remember?"

"He's got a point," Silas pointed out, grinning as he took a sip of his own wine.

"I have to admit, with everything that's going on, it's been a while since I've had some fun," Sekel admitted, picking up his fork to dig into more food. "It almost feels like we're not hiding from the Empire. Almost."

"You're telling me," Cooper agreed, raising his own glass to his lips to wash down the wine's bitter aftertaste. Ugh. Last time I drink that stuff. "My commander, Harlow, she used to play games with us back when she was helping me and my brothers train on Kamino. I still miss those moments."

The clone sat across the table, smiling as he waited for Sekel to make another snide comment. But the Umbaran simply sat there, eyes narrowed at his plate as if Cooper had just told an offensive joke. Sekel finally looked up from his plate. "How do you know that name?" the general asked, his low tone making Cooper feel as if he were being interrogated.

"Because she's the friend I'm looking for," Cooper said, dropping the light-hearted tone as he realized how serious Sekel was. "And because there's a Jedi hunter trying to kill us both."

The general continued to stare, his eyes narrowed in deep thought. "You have my attention," he curtly spoke, setting down his silverware. "Tell me everything, right from the start."

"Back a few days ago, I got a message from Harlow," Cooper began, forcing himself to stay calm as his mind threatened to bring up the painful memories of that night. "The Empire found it, and they assumed I was in league with her, so they tried to capture me. I ran away and crashed on Teth. That was where I met Silas and Lyra."

"And where does this Jedi hunter fit in?"

The young clone struggled to hold back his fear as he recalled Third Brother's features to mind. The nightmarish helmet and the hood the maniac wore over it, the pitch-black armor, the blood-colored lightsaber he had slaughtered so many of Taddeo's pirates with. "He tracked me to Teth," Cooper answered. "I fought him once, got my shebs kicked around. I learned later that he was singling me out, trying to get me to lead him to Harlow. My friends and I resolved to find her, and we traced that message back to its source on Utapau."

"I'm guessing that's where you found that fuel log that led you to me?"

The teen nodded. Oh, yeah. All this talk of Utapau, I almost forgot about this. "I also found this," he said, reaching into his pocket pull out the crystal he had found earlier. "I think you might make better sense of what it is than I can."

Sekel's eyes widened, his hand snatching the crystal the moment Cooper tried to give it to him. "Where did you find this?" the general demanded, his hands trembling as they clutched the crystal.

"I found that crystal on a corpse. There were bodies everywhere. I think Harlow might've gotten out, but I didn't find anyone else alive down there."

Sekel's somber nod made one thing certain for Cooper: there was far more at work here than the general was letting on. The way he's behaving…maybe he knows more about Harlow than I thought.

"Look, if you don't know where she is, that's fine," the clone spoke up, easily picking up on the general's hesitation.

"Actually, I might have an idea," Sekel replied, his eyes lowered to his plate in thought. "You've helped me out, now it's my turn to help you. That was the deal, last I checked."

"Okay," Cooper said, his tone giving the Umbaran the benefit of the doubt. I trust Umbarans about as far as I can throw them, but Tay's an exception. He's helped us so far, hasn't he? "Where do we—"

"General!"

The heads of everyone at the table turned as the insurgent came rushing forward. "General, your presence is requested on deck," he told Sekel.

"I'm afraid I'm in the middle of something right now," Sekel answered the trooper. "Is it urgent?"

"Our intelligence agents intercepted an Imperial briefing report," the soldier replied, his contagious worry quickly spreading to the general and the fugitives. "The Imps must be up to something. You need to see this."

Sekel furrowed his eyebrows, reluctantly standing up. The clone and the Tethans followed suit. "We'll need to move quickly, then."

The command center had once again become vibrant, with several militia fighters reloading their weapons or glancing at the hologram feed. Sekel strolled over to the nearest officer. "Bring up that Imperial briefing," he ordered, leaning over the officer's chair. "I need to see what we're looking at."

A few key presses later, the holoprojector booted up, projecting the image of a uniformed human. Cooper's eyes narrowed in judgment. This is the one in charge of all these attacks? Wonder what he has to say.

"Good evening," the Imperial officer started. "My name is Commander Rhys Zaldash. I operate Imperial forces commandeering the siege on the Raxus Separatist holdout. If you're hearing this, you are a part of these forces.

"It's come to my attention that our targets in Tamwith Bay have been updated," the Imperial commander continued. "Target number one remains the same: General Tay Sekel, former investigations advisor in Tamwith Bay. Target is charged with multiple counts of treason and terrorism against the Empire, and is known to be aiding the Separatist insurgents holding the line in the city. Rules of engagement for Sekel and his forces are simple: you are clear to engage with lethal prejudice.

"Target number two is broadcasted per the orders of our Inquisitor friend, Third Brother," the commander droned on. "Target is CT-4901, aka Cooper. Target is charged with one count of desertion from his post, and multiple accounts of resisting arrest from Imperial forces. Third Brother has confirmed that Cooper is also aiding and abetting the Jedi traitor known as Harlow Thornton. Third Brother wants him alive, but other than that, you are clear to engage. This concludes the briefing. Dismissed."

The transmission cut out, enveloping the command center in silence. Cooper furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. That Jedi hunter tracked me here…but how? We didn't find any homing beacon on the ship, so how—no. No, he's not tracking the ship, dammit! He's tracking me! In his haste to escape from Kamino, Cooper had forgotten about the tracer the medics had surgically implanted in his arm, as per Sawyer's orders.

"The Jedi hunter's tracking me through a tracer in my arm," Cooper spoke up, causing Lyra and Sekel to turn their heads. "That's likely how he found us on Teth and Utapau, and it's how he found us here."

"Is there any way we can remove it?" Sekel concernedly asked.

The clone shook his head in frustration. "No. Only way this tracer is coming out is the same way it went in, and that's gonna take time and resources we don't have."

Lyra pursed her lips in thought, her hand resting on her chin. "I think I have an idea," she said, turning to one of the insurgents. "You have tracers as part of your supplies, don't you?"

The militia soldier nodded. "Yes, ma'am. From my counts we have at least five of them on hand. Why do you ask?"

"And these tracers, is there any way we can get them to mimic the one in Cooper?"

"What are you getting at, Lyra?" Silas asked.

"Maybe we can't remove Cooper's tracer, but we can buy him time," Lyra suggested. "If we can quickly send some tracers with Sekel's soldiers, and them send those soldiers off planet in multiple directions, then the Inquisitor will have a hard time figuring out which ship to follow. I see it as an absolute win."

Tay's eyes widened as they stared at Lyra. "I don't," he interjected, his tone rising with his concern. "Our forces are already running on fumes here. If we send any of them off world…what you're asking is reckless."

"I hate to break it to you, but it might be our best option," Cooper suggested. "This Jedi hunter might want me alive, but he has no problem killing you or anyone else who gets in his way. Your men will be in danger if they stay here."

"You are asking my troops to simply abandon this fight and risk their lives for one Jedi," Tay snapped, gazing over the holotable in deep thought. "Some of these men and women have families off world to go home to."

"Look, this battle is lost already," Silas said, pointing toward the pillars of smoke scattered throughout the city. "Now that those Imperials have this 'Third Brother' or whatever the hell his name is helping them, you won't last one more day. You say these fighters have families they want to go home to? We can help them with that by sending them off world."

"And just how do you propose we do that?" one soldier snarked back, his face set in a hopeless scowl. "Spaceports are locked down and the Imps have us spread thin. At this rate, we're screwed no matter what we do!"

The general's eyes widened as a solution dawned on him. "I think I have a solution for that," he announced, his voice enough to restore the hope in the hearts of the room's occupants. "The Empire's targets are me and Cooper. Zaldash and Third Brother both have a reason to storm this building right now. And Cooper still needs help finding his Jedi friend. I say we kill two birds with one stone."

"What are you thinking, General?" Cooper spoke up, brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm thinking we could provide a distraction of our own," Tay said, strolling over to the stone wall. The Umbaran hastily kicked aside the carpet, revealing a hidden lever embedded in the floor. The lever clicked as Tay pulled up on it, a piece of the floor opening to reveal a hidden entrance. Where the secret trapdoor would lead to, Cooper could only guess.

"Third Brother and his goons won't resist two major targets packed together," Tay elaborated, lips curling into a sly smile. "We can use that beacon of yours to give them the impression that we were here, and then slip away through the tunnels underground. It'll scatter the Imperials, and make them easier for everyone else to deal with while we all escape."

"Wait, so you want to use Cooper and yourself as bait?" Lyra spoke up, jaw nearly dropping in shock. "That's not a good idea. I've seen what Third Brother is capable of. Have you?"

"As crazy as the idea sounds," Cooper weighed in, running his hands through his hair, "it's not the worst plan out there. Tay's my only link to finding Harlow and stopping Third Brother in his tracks. And at least this way, you and Silas won't have to worry about getting hurt this time."

"I'll send my men to assist you and Silas, but I'm going with Cooper," Tay told Lyra, his tone leaving no room for debate as he strolled over to the ladder. "The things I'll need to help him locate Thornton are in a secure vault. He'll need a key to get in. I'll see you all on the other side. May the Force be with us all." With that, the Umbaran began his descent into the underground entrance.

Lyra nodded her head in understanding, turning to face Cooper. "You better come back to us in one piece, you hear?" the slicer sternly warned, tapping her foot. "And tell the good general that if that's not the case, then I'll give him a piece of my mind."

"I'll be fine," Cooper reassured, his lips curled into a lopsided grin. "Besides, I'm just going down a hole with Sekel. You and Silas get to have all the fun."

Lyra let out a chuckle as Cooper turned around and began his descent down the ladder. His heartbeat quickened, and his hands were shaking with excitement to the point where he could barely keep his grip on the ladder. Bout time we finally got to the bottom of this.

A gentle, warm grip on the teen's hand stopped him in his tracks.

"In case we weren't clear about earlier with that ambush," Lyra started, swallowing as she struggled to form the words. "Thanks. It did need to be done." A humble smile settled on her face, and she swiftly turned away to rejoin her group.

"Don't mention it," Cooper gratefully mumbled under his breath, before continuing down into the dark caverns below.

Hey guys. Another chapter's up and finished.

I just want to take a moment to say thanks for being patient with me regarding updates. Life's been pretty hectic so far, and I'd also like to make sure that chapters are the best they can be before I post them.