Chapter 2 - Escape

Every time Emerie goes to get Anakin's blood, it makes her think all over again of how she has so many questions about the Empire now. Especially when she can see clearly now how upset the other children are at being here. She cannot forget what happened to Jax when he tried to escape and now there is another baby here who was brought by a bounty hunter. The children are not here anymore consensually than Anakin himself.

Anakin's gaze is unusually unfocused when Emerie comes in. He's looking worse with each passing day. His face is drawn and pale and haunted and... She is helping with that.

This is for science, which is her purpose but... She does not understand why there isn't another way to go about this.

She should not be talking to him as much as she has been but she can't forgot what he was saying about Echo. Anakin knew Echo. The same Echo who Omega told Emerie so much about. That by default makes her feel some connection to Anakin too, even if he's a natborn so it's different.

Maybe his name is familiar because he's a Jedi and she heard of a few on occasion, names passed by Nala Se and other Kaminoans during the war but she never gave it much attention before.

It still feels so wrong to turn the thing is again as she turns to leave. He didn't say anything this time and she almost misses it, even if that shouldn't matter.

"I'm sorry," Emerie tells him quietly, without turning around when she reaches the door.

She wishes she could have said that to Crosshair, especially now after Omega told her so much about him over the months.

She hears Anakin breathe out heavily even if she doesn't turn around. "Don't be," he says quietly, "It's not as if – if I don't deserve this."

...What?

She slowly turns back to look at him, hopelessly confused. He looks very disoriented but he's obviously aware of what he's saying. "What are you talking about?"

"I did – a lot. That's how I – ended up here."

She frowns. Is he saying he regrets whatever he did when he betrayed the Empire? At least she thinks thit must be something about that. "When you betrayed the Empire?" she asks uncertainly.

"No." He blinks a few times, gaze slipping a little more into focused after a few moments. She cannot say why she stands here waiting, half-hoping he is going to answer. Maybe it's only that she is not in a hurry to reactivate the sound.

"Why are you here?" she asks, "What did you do?"

She knows many of her brothers evidently betrayed the Empire too which is why they are here but –

They are still her brothers. But that is not her purpose. It should not be... important. (But it is. The brothers Omega told her about feel like hers, like she knows them herself.)

"I thought the Empire was the right choice," Anakin replies. She does not know what to make of his tone or expression – some mix of guilt and pain. "The Jedi committed treason and I thought standing with the Empire would help bring peace to the galaxy but... I was wrong. The Emperor is only using his power to continue the corruption that's plagued the galaxy all this time."

All of these are problems so far away from her, things she only heard about fleetingly. She listens, anyway.

"He tried to have my... my sister killed for nothing and that was when I really saw it."

His sister? "Another Jedi?" Emerie clarifies.

"Former Jedi. She wasn't a part of the treason plot but he wanted her gone regardless. And then I started seeing what he was doing to all the clones, to your brothers."

She tries not to let herself think about her own role in that.

"They were all being mind-controlled, forced to do things they never would have otherwise. That's why so many started turning on the Empire later."

"I heard... a little about it," she offers, not quite looking at him. She knew they turned traitor and she knew the chips were sometimes used for various purposes even after bringing them here, but she never really thought about it from the kind of perspective Anakin is speaking of. She knows she has hurt so many of her brothers. The guilt of it never fades. But this is her purpose so what is she supposed to do?

"I don't know what Sidious is doing to the clones here either but – I know it's nothing good."

Is he probing for information? She avoids the possible bait but what he is saying only makes her feel worse. He is not wrong and she doesn't know what to do.

"I tried to kill the Emperor," Anakin goes on, when he seems to realize he's not going to get a response, "I wanted to put an end to this but I failed. But I still hurt so many under his orders because I thought what he was telling me was right. I thought it was my duty."

The words are so, so familiar. "Doing your duty is not... always easy," she says but it sounds more like she's trying to convince herself.

Anakin sighs. "I know. But there's a difference between having to make hard choices for duty and doing things that are... wrong. But I know it's never an easy situation to be in. It's not – I know. And don't blame yourself for what you're doing to me. I know that's not your choice."

She should leave. They should not be speaking of this. "I – I'm just doing my job," she replies quietly.

"I know. I... understand that." His eyes are full of pain. "But remember that... you are more than what Hemlock is trying to make you into. I don't know what it's like for you here, or between you and him, but – He should not get to decide what you have to be. That should be your choice, even if it never has been before. Maybe there is nothing you can do right now, but someday there might be a chance. Don't – don't be too afraid to take it when it comes."

"What will you do, Emerie?" Nala Se's words about the children flicker through her mind.

But there is nothing she can do, is there? There is no way out of here. Not unless the Batch come. Or just someone. She should not be thinking about this so much but she can't stop suddenly. This is not what she wants but this is her duty and there is nothing else.

"I..." She doesn't know what to say.

"I shouldn't keep you," Anakin says finally, even if he doesn't look very enthusiastic about saying so.

He's urging her to leave so she doesn't get in trouble, even if it's going to hurt him. She does not know what to think of that either.

It's easier to try not think of it at all as she leaves the room again, considering though only for a few seconds, whether or not she could claim she forgot to turn the sound back on. But no. Hemlock knows she is not that incompetent and he would know it was intentional if Anakin did attempt to escape. It would not help him – or her – long-term.

That does nothing to stop the questions in her mind that are growing and growing with each passing moment.

**w**

It's got to be somewhere close to the length of time that usually let him sleep after but Anakin can't be sure. The days are starting to blur together now with nothing but the noise as he tries to lose himself in the depths of his mind.

He's so out of it he can't blink himself back to consciousness fully when Emerie comes in again. Doesn't even try until he feels her hand lingering on his arm a bit longer than it ought to be for just drawing his blood.

The sunction-y feeling from that happening is already gone.

He opens his eyes to see her holding a small glass of water. He blinks a few times in surprise but her meaning quickly becomes obvious even if she doesn't say anything. He can't move to take it from her when his arms are stuck suspended in this stupid position.

She holds it up to his mouth and he gulps it all down desperately – he's always so thirsty because they only give him barely enough to keep him alive.

"That was all I could bring," she says, an apologetic note in her voice as she steps back.

"It's okay," Anakin rasps, smiling weakly at her, "Thank you. For doing anything." She certainly did not need to and she was willing to risk herself for him, of all people. That will always mean everything to him, even if she does continue to hurt him after this.

Emerie nods slightly, watching him with that unreadable expression – she's clearly mastered keeping her face entirely blank. He doesn't know if it's from being raised by Hemlock or if it's simply what she's like at a person – before she turns to leave again.

It surprisingly isn't much longer before the guards come back to let him rest for some hours and as usual, he's still too out of it to even think about trying to escape before they put him back in the energy field.

**w**

Something about Emerie looks distinctly different when she comes into his room next. Her emotions are radiating far stronger than usual. She's afraid of something – something far more than normal. Unless it's just that this is the first time in a long time Anakin's been awake enough to notice it. Aside from his perpetual headache that he's no longer convinced will ever go away again. It's a wonder he can keep down anything he does end up eating, with how badly it hurts.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

She stills, not looking up. "I... It is about Omega."

He frowns. "Did something happen?"

"She was brought back here again."

Oh.

She's afraid for her, even if she still thinks this is her duty. But she's having a lot more questions than she's letting on about. He can sense it. And the least he can do is try to help her, even if she's the last person he ever gets to help. He may hardly know her but he's becoming... increasingly fond of her, as he did all the young clones he got to know and ended up basically adopting.

"You're worried about her," he observes. So is he, even if he's only heard her mentioned once. She's still the clone's other sister. Does she look like Emerie too? Is she older? Younger?

"I don't know what will happen to her now," Emerie replies, "Before, she was being kept here to help with the research but now... The doctor told me that her blood contains what we need for some of the experiments. She's being kept under high security. She is alright right now but I..."

"You don't know for how long," Anakin finishes for her.

She nods slightly.

"I don't know the lay of this place but is there no way for you to find a way to... get her out again?"

Emerie looks up at him sharply. "No." She's afraid, afraid to even be talking about this in here which is fair.

There's nothing he can do to help, not trapped here and basically slowly dying from sheer exhaustion but still – Something else occurs to him. "When I was a child," Anakin starts very slowly, "My mother used to tell me a story for bedtime. It was about a sun dragon."

She's eyeing him oddly, probably confused as to how this has to do with anything. "I have never heard of such a thing."

Anakin laughs, even if the amusement is fleeting. "It's a legend. I couldn't say for certain if such a thing was ever real, but the point was the story itself. The sun dragon lives inside a star, guarding everything it loves and treasures. It guarded them through the fire and flame, always keeping them safe. It could persevere through anything, even life within a star itself. Because the sun-dragon has the biggest heart in the galaxy, a furnace of flames powerful enough to protect everything and everyone it loves. The strongest heart – stronger than the heart of a star." He heard the story so many times that when he retells it, he can still feel his mother's rough hand holding his much smaller one.

He can still remember the sound of her soft voice, and the aching, gutting grief that immediately floods him the moment he starts to think about her and the day he lost her, but he forces himself to keep talking. This is for Emerie.

"And she always told me that I was the sun dragon with the strongest heart. And to always believe in it." He thinks, now that he's saying it again out loud, that he's forgotten a lot of it. Forgotten the meaning it always used to give him. Forgetting how it used to let him believe in himself when nothing else he learned at the Temple or when Obi-Wan constantly criticized him, ever did.

Emerie is staring at him, face conflicted. He knows how hard this is over for her and from how old she looks, she must be only about eleven or thereabouts. And that's so young. "Why are you telling me this?" she asks finally.

"My mother used to tell me the story in different ways," he continues, "A celebration for good days. A lesson for bad days. But it always returned to one thing, the most important thing. Your heart can take you where you want to go. Where you need to go. Because it is strong enough. That's why I'm telling you this now. I know it may not seem like it now but believe me, it... is. I may not know you well but I know you are brave. And strong enough. Even if it doesn't feel like it to you now."

"You mean that?" She sounds almost disbelieving.

"Yes, Emerie, I do," he replies with more certainty, more fierceness than he's felt about anything in so long.

"But... why? I hurt you. I..."

"Maybe, but like I told you, I understand it."

"I still... owe the doctor my loyalty," Emerie responds finally.

He knows this feeling far too well, too. "What is he to you?" Anakin asks, keeping his tone as curious as non-judging as he can.

She hesitates. "He raised me. He gave me a purpose. I don't know what Nala Se would have done with me eventually if not for him. All I learned when I was with her was how to read. Hemlock gave me everything else I have."

Anakin winces. He can understand that feeling too well, even if not nearly as personally because Palpatine didn't actually raise him even if it was a near thing. "Caring about him is natural," Anakin replies slowly, "And I wouldn't say it's wrong either. But the question is if he returns the same loyalty to you that you give to him. If he truly cares for you the same way you do for him."

"I – After everything he did for me – "

"Was it for you," he interjects, gently, "Or for himself?"

She doesn't reply.

He can feel her pain and he wishes there was something he could do to make it better but there's not. He can't make Hemlock actually care about her or be a good person.

"He keeps you away from your family and I know that you want one more than anything else, even if you don't really understand what it means."

"Emotions interfere with science. That's not something I... am supposed to need," she objects.

How does that sound so much like the things the Jedi told him over and over again? "Wanting a family is natural. Normal. It's your right to have one. And no one has the right to take that away from you for any reason. If you want to give it up for something else, that should at least be your own willingly choice."

She looks away, saying nothing. This is probably too much for her to say anything to, to be fair. But he's finally said what he's been wanting to say to her for so long. He can only hope she will find the chance to find freedom and most of all, a family.

Something he'll never have again. But at least he can give it to someone else, someone who truly deserves it.

**w**

Something's wrong. Anakin doesn't know what it is but he can sense a distant offness in the Force and there's an unusual amount of tension in the air. He can't hear or think over the noise blaring in his ears, or above how badly is head is pounding with pain but he still knows something's wrong.

His head snaps up in confusion at the sound of the door unlocking. Emerie isn't supposed to be back yet so why - ?

Except when it opens, it's to reveal Emerie and... Echo?

He blinks a few times, half expecting it to just be a hallucination and considering his physical it very well could be, but no.

"General?" Echo asks faintly, staring at him, the word barely audible over the noise.

"Echo," Anakin breathes. He's dressed in stormtrooper armor – one of his hands is clearly robotic since he's not moving it. "What are you doing here?"

Emerie circles past him, going over to the controls and flipping off the noise.

Anakin breathes out an instant sigh of relief, even if the pain in his head is still literally splitting.

"You just left him here?" Echo demands, whirling toward her.

Emerie looks away, guiltily.

"Echo," Anakin interjects, "It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her choice to make."

Echo's already moving across the room, poking at the controls on the energy field until it deactivates.

Anakin falls very unceremoniously when it does – it's been a while since he was taken down. Echo catches him in a half hug – which Anakin doesn't think was intentional but he goes all out with it anyway, winding his arms around the clone. They only knew each other for a year, really, but it was never a friendship Anakin forgot. He needs to keep himself upright anyway since he feels annoyingly wobbly on his feet so he's kind of multitasking. Echo returns the embrace fiercely.

"General," he repeats, "I didn't – I had no idea you were here. Emerie said they had a prisoner I was familiar with but I never realized she meant you. I thought –" his voice falters.. "That you were gone with the Jedi."

"It's a long story," Anakin replies, heart clenching painfully. And definitely not one they have time for right now. "What's happening? Why are you here?" He can guess it's some kind of escape plan, but the mere concept feels entirely unreal to him now. Entirely outlandish and impossible.

"We've been searching for Tantiss for a long time," Echo replies, "And we finally made it here. I'm infiltrating. The rest of my squad should be making it inside by now. Let's go." Echo steps back and Anakin stumbles after him, into the hallway. All the guards out here are dead. He knows this hall well from his own escape attempts which. got pretty far, but never enough. He can't deny the nervousness coursing through him, at the mere thought of what Sidious might try to do to him if he tries to escape again and fails but – This is the chance he's been waiting for. He's certainly not going to turn it down.

"Can you walk?" Emerie asks, eyeing him.

Anakin nods, wincing at the pain that jars sharply through his head. He can still hear the noise ringing in his ears even if everything's quiet now. "I'll be fine."

Anakin forces himself to keep moving, trying not to stumble, as he runs behind Echo and Emerie. They need to be fast.

There's noise right around the corner and the three of them step back into the shadows, right as a large group of Imperials round the corner. There are several stormtroopers but that's not what sticks out the most. There are four operatives dressed entirely in black but with slightly different lights on their helmets – something about them feels wild and dead and empty but also familiar in a way Anakin can't understand.

They're pushing carts carrying three other armored figures. Anakin doesn't need to look twice to guess who they are.

Echo is completely rigid, staring at them.

"Is that the rest of your squad?" Emerie asks.

"Yeah." Echo's practically vibrating with rage but he's also so scared. His squad is injured and they passed by too fast for Anakin to see how badly but it doesn't look good. And it means they aren't going to be getting backup. "Where are they being taken?"

"I don't know but Hemlock will keep them well guarded," Emerie replies.

"I can handle that. but we have to find the children first," Echo objects.

"Children?" Anakin echoes, confused.

"Omega was being contained in the vault with other children," Emerie explains.

"We can split up," Anakin offers, "You go after the children and I go after the Batch."

"Are you really ready for that, sir?" Echo objects, turning to eye him, "You'd be on your own. And all of Hemlock's forces would be on your tail quickly."

He wants to say that he is but he needs to be reasonable. It could be more of a liability than anything else and he knows it, even if he doesn't want to admit it. "You're right," Anakin concedes. He still doesn't know how well he can use the Force, thanks to all the noise still reverberating in his mind and how badly his head his pounding with pain. He needs a few more minutes at least to keep reorientated to being free again, even if it's minutes they really don't have.

"The science hanger is right up ahead," Emerie interjects.

"Let's go," Anakin decides, and they take off together.

**w**

Everything is burning when they make it to the hangar. The entire place was torn apart, obviously in some fight. Probably the Batch's handiwork before they were somehow overpowered. Anakin quickly scans their surroundings for any children.

The sound of stormtroopers talking loudly is what catches his attention first. There's two stormtroopers standing in front of a group of four children, one of whom is carrying a baby on his back. But he doesn't see any Emerie-look-alikes so where is Omega?

Echo darts over to them immediately, stunning the stormtroopers as they approach.

"Causing chaos, Havoc 5?" he asks dryly.

"Echo!" the blonde-haired girl exclaims, spinning around, excitement bleeding into her voice.

Wait.

That tiny little girl is Omega? The clone's other sister? How old is she?

Anakin glances past her, to the other children. They all feel bright in the Force.

Force-sensitive.

That's why they're here, isn't it?

If not for Sidious and the Empire, they probably would've been Jedi once. More younglings who would have died that night. He roughly shies away from the thought.

"The shuttles in bay four are still operational," Emerie reports.

"You're helping us, Dr. Karr?" asks the Ithorian girl.

"I am. But we must hurry."

"Wait," Omega protests, "Where are Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair?"

"They're detained," Echo replies.

"You mean captured?"

"For now."

Echo asks Emerie to fly the other children out of there. They're reliant to leave without Omega but there's no other choice. Emerie gives them her datapad.

"Emerie... may the Force be with you," Anakin says, stepping up to her. He hasn't said those words in so long. It's a Jedi phrase, after all. And the Jedi are gone because of him. He's not really one of them anymore. Never can be again. Doesn't even know if he wants to be but – that is what Ahsoka wants him to be.

Emerie nods slightly, probably not fully certain what the phrase even means. "...You too. Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"I'll be fine," he promises, "I've waited for so long to free your brothers. My place is here." He throws a meaningful glance in Echo's direction.

She nods. "Alright."

The other children move to run up the ramp, but the Ithorian freezes suddenly, staring at him. "What happened to your hand?" she yelps, looking queasy.

Oh, that.

"It's a prosthetic. I can tell you all about it later," he assures dryly.

The Pantoran girl grabs the girl's hand, dragging her onto the ship.

"Who are you?" Omega asks, eyeing him.

"Anakin – "

"My general," Echo interjects, "The one I told you a little about."

Her eyes go wide. "But – I thought he was dead?"

"I said I didn't know," Echo reminds.

"I'm not but I know why Echo would have thought so. It's nice to meet you, little one."

"I wondered what you were like," Omega comments, studying him curiously. She's touching him in the Force. She's some level of Force sensitive to, even if he doesn't know that she's strong enough to be trained. "And... I'm not little."

Anakin laughs. Seriously. Every child says that.

Echo chuckles. "She's not as young as you think, General. She's older than all of us."

Wait – Wait. "Her aging was never enhanced?"

"No," she replies.

He has so many more questions but that will have to wait. They need to get moving.

**w**

It doesn't take long for them to get down to the prison level. There are dozens of clones down here – Anakin has no idea how many. But he can clearly feel their misery. They gave everything for the galaxy and this is what they got in return. Because of Sidious.

They open all the cells, letting them out before spitting up, looking through them all. But the Batch are nowhere to be found.

"They could be in the training room," one of the clones volunteers, "That's where Hemlock takes some of the clones he deems useful."

Deems useful? Anakin doesn't even want to know. All he does know is that he is so angry. He can't believe this was happening and he never realized until now. He's not going to let Sidious get away with what he's done. The betrayal still burns deep in his heart – this was Palpatine once, the person he always looked up to, even if Palpatine and Sidious don't even feel the same anymore.

Some other non-clone comes out of one of the cells, griping about how they should just leave.

Everyone ignores him but one glower from Echo clearly indicates he knows who he is. Some infuriating Imperial, by the looks of it.

One of the clones, not even someone Anakin recognizes comes up to him. "General Skywalker?" he asks, uncertainly.

"Yes?"

"I wasn't sure it was really you. I thought all the Jedi were gone."

"You've come to help us?" another asks, equally awed.

It makes him feel even worse somehow, driving the guilt deeper, but it also floods him with a burning sense of determination. He won't let them down, not again. "I will do my best to protect all of you," Anakin promises.

"Listen," Echo calls to them all, "I know you've all been through enough. You deserve your chance at freedom. But Omega, the General, and I can't do this all alone. Is anyone willing to stand with us?"

There's a long moment of absolute silence.

"I will," one of them says and then all the others are echoing the sentiment. Then it's time for them to move.

Nala Se is talking to Omega – she doesn't want her research staying in the Empire's hands and he's glad for that. Whatever they've discovered is not something Sidious needs. Anakin has no idea what research they're doing with his blood of all things but it can't be anything good. Anakin doesn't really understand the friendliness Omega is showing Nala Se, though. Emerie was so angry at her even if she never showed it outwardly. Why would the Kaminoan's relationship with Omega have been so different?

"Let's get to the lab," Omega volunteers immediately.

"No," Nala Se objects, "Your place is with them." She motions to the clones around them.

Something about the look on Omega's face gives Anakin the feeling that that had far more meaning for her than it looked like to an outsider. But still she cares about her and he doesn't understand what's so different with Emerie. That's something he'll think about later. Right now, they need to move.

He picks up a dropped blaster and is about to move off with the rest of the clones when he sees that Imperial mostly ducked around a corner, watching them.

He's up to something.

Whether it's in favor of the Empire or for himself, Anakin can't tell, but it's definitely something against the clones. And he knows better than to ignore warnings like that from the Force. He flips his blaster to stun, firing at the Imperial. The man goes down with a yelp and doesn't move.

"...What?" Echo asks, turning to him.

"Who is he?" Anakin inquires, "He was up to... something. I could not say what."

"Admiral Rampart. He's the one who had Kamino destroyed," Echo replies, with no small measure of loathing.

Oh. Oh. A feeling of dread washes over him. "That wasn't a storm, was it?" That's what everyone told the Senate. It hadn't made any sense to him but he didn't know what to do about it. And in the end, he never had time to look into it before he ended up here.

"He bombarded the entire place from space. I was there with my squad. We barely made it out."

Omega's expression tightens a little, as she obviously overhears the conversation.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there with you through any of that," Anakin says.

"I'm sure you did what you could, sir," he replies.

Maybe. He thought he was trying but – all he did in the end was fail. But somehow, Echo still believes in him. To be fair, he doesn't know all the details yet. But now's not the time to speak of it. They have to rescue the Batch and find Hemlock.

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