He’s Our Brother
Onboard a stolen freighter, a rescue was being planned and soon to be executed as the freighter entered the sector near Condre.
Commander Nighthawk stood at the center of his contingent of ARC’s all dressed in a mixture of First Order worker and trooper gear. They are a diverse crew of only a few older clones, and younger troopers of various races. Nighthawk had served on Endor with Rex on the far side of the moon, they worked well together and helped the Republic win against the Empire the last time. Now it was different. Nighthawk was older now in his late fifties, but he had spent his years training a new breed of ARC’s. No clones, sadly in his opinion, but clone legacy’s and other recruits who were able to pass his stringent standards. They have undergone rescue and evasive missions before to keep Ahch-To secret and secure. Now they are coming to retrieve a family member of dear, well deserving, friends.
“All right. We have very good intel that Medic, Thanowin Gaht is imprisoned on the Stardestroyer, The Garroter.” The clone ARC Commander announced gruffly, “We are to extract him as quietly as possible and leave. Any intel we can gather while here would be helpful, but we must complete this rescue. He has spent too much time under First Order confinement. Let’s bring him home.”
The ARC’s grunted in agreement and readied themselves for the mission.
So far everything was going according to plan. Each small group was headed by a clone supervisor and they split up to scatter throughout the Stardestroyer’s vast prisoner hold to find specifically, the prisoners of Condre.
They bluffed their way through the ship and relieving the guards on duty, Nighthawk and his team found where the Condre prisoners were being kept. They opened the cell and found eight prisoners sitting in the cell, all humanoid except for a single Kamanoian. Nighthawk cursed himself for finding this Kamanoian prisoner. She is too obvious to try and rescue and she would surely talk to her captors complaining that she wasn’t taken with the others. His Sergeant, a slicer, had come with the idea that the Kamanoin was to be taken to a transport to help with experiments aboard another Stardestroyer in the sector.
Perfect.
“Alright, you’re all being moved.” Said Commander Nighthawk through his First Order helm.
“Not again.” Complained the Kamanoian as she stood among the others.
“Yes. Again! Kamanoian.” Growled Nighthawk.
“I must protest…”
“Protest all you want. You’re being moved again, and again if need be. So keep quiet or I’ll find a new use for a Kamanoian skull.” He said as he pushed her slight frame.
The large grey eyes of the Kamanoian blinked. Startled at being spoken to in such a manner.
“I’d do as he says” whispers the Sergeant to the Kamanoian prisoner. “He has quite a collection.”
Nighthawk spoke briefly into his scrambled com. “Eraser, we need a transport.”
“No problem Commander. Seems we have one just to our left. Give us a moment.”
Nighthawk waited and after a few moments Eraser came back on the com.
“The transport is secured, Sir.” Said a winded trooper. “Awaiting for further orders.”
“I’m coming with a Kamanoian prisoner. Take her and the transport and go toward the First Order sector. The Sergeant is transmitting coordinates now. Then go straight for Condre when clear.”
“Understood, Sir.”
Commander Nighthawk and his squad escorted the prisoners and split briefly as the humans were sent to the freighter and the Kamanoian was taken to a transport. Once onboard, Nighthawk took off his helmet to clear off the visor which was steaming and obscuring his vison.
“A clone? A clone heading a rescue?” said the shocked Kamanoian.
“I wouldn’t be so picky if I were you.” Snarls Nighthawk as he puts the helmet back on and peeks around the corner of the transport.
“You all were supposed to perish by now.”
“The universe if full of surprises.”
The other ARC’s were about to take their helmets off, but the Commander stopped them cold. “Keep them on.” He ordered through their private channel.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go.” Complains the Kamanoian.
“We’re not here for you. Believe it or not.”
“But I’m a very important – “
“All Greys think they’re important.” Sniffs the Commander. “We have another objective and it doesn’t involve you. You can wait.”
“Well –“Huffed the Kamanoian.
“We’re here for one of our own. Something you wouldn’t understand.” Frowned the Commander, “He is our brother.” The Commander growled, “We’re not leaving without him.”
Nighthawk took off his helmet and faced the Kamanoian. “All of us clones performed our duties. Obeyed orders. Fought, Lived, and Died, for the Republic –“
“That is what you were created and trained for.” The Kamanoian smugly retorted.
“And you couldn’t keep the Galactic Republic together for only a few years! I should shoot you out the closest airlock and forget about you, similar to what you did to us!”
“You won’t do that. It’s not in you.”
“Don’t tempt me further.” Warned the Commander, as he put his helmet back on, “Eraser, take this transport and do as we planned. Keep this meat sack quiet and put her in an escape pod if you have to for the entire trip. Dump her off and return home as quickly and quietly as possible. We may need this transport in the future.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Nighthawk took off his helm one more time and grabbed the Kaminoan glaring at her nose to nose, “Say hello, to Nala Se, for me.” Stunned the Kaminoan sat in her seat and waited for the transport to take off.
The Commander put his helmet back on and calmly marched to the freighter to wait for his other ARC’s.
Thanowyn stumbled through the hall of the Stardestroyer drugged out of his mind.
Where to go. What to do.
He couldn’t remember how he got out of his cell, or how he had gotten this far without being noticed, but he fell into a small doorway and curled up tight as he heard troopers marching through the corridor. He prayed that he wouldn’t be discovered. He waited until the marching faded to the distance as he finally tried to right himself and stand. He slid himself along the small wall in front of him and shakily stood. He felt himself falling again and fully into the path of First Order Troopers. Oh, KRIFF!
“What are you doing here?” Demanded a trooper. “Take this scum to a cell. Who is the brilliant mastermind to let a prisoner wander out here?”
Thanowyn used all the strength he had and pushed the trooper, and tried to run only to trip and fall hard onto the cold corridor floor.
The trooper kicked Thanowyn a couple of times, “Take him. Now, before I kill him.”
“Yes, Sir.” Came a female voice from a trooper helm. “Right away.” She nodded to her companions as they marched with the Trooper and dispatched him quietly, but painfully, in an empty room.
The female trooper knelt next to Thanowyn as he gasped and coughed in pain. “Thanowyn. You’re going home.”
“Wh – What?” He whimpered shakily. He tried to pull himself away from a kind hand as the trooper tried to sooth him.
“Kitxa want’s her baby’s father back.” Whispered the female trooper as she loosened his bonds.
Stunned Thanowyn stared at the First order helmet as the Trooper tapped his shoulder with their secret ARC code.
“Come with me, you.” She said harshly, as she helped him stand and the other troopers returned from their grim task to escort him to the hanger.
Commander, Nighthawk saw his ARC’s returning with their objective in tow. He gave the signal and the Freighter’s engines revved up. Once Thanowyn was safely aboard, and everyone was accounted for, the freighter left the Stardestroyer without incident.
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