All That We Are: A Star Wars Story

Prologue pt. 2

          The three remaining clones on "Watcher's Retreat" stood side by side in the hangar. Deck lifted his heavy assault weapon, Boulder shifted his grip on his Massiff's leash, and Commander Luther, blaster on his hip, kept his eyes on the door through his visor.

           The giant door connecting the hangar from the rest of the base slid open. A clone stepped out with one of the Jedi right behind him, General Plubel. With one hand gripping the back of Tether's armor, the other held her lightsaber to his throat. It was odd, Tether thought; despite the short distance from his skin to the blade, he couldn't feel any of its heat. He breathed slowly with his hands up.

           "Captain-!" Luther gasped. Deck hesitantly lowered his weapon and Boulder pulled his own back.

           "Just- ergh- Do as she says," Tether grunted.

           Sajji stood off to the side and out of sight, ready to open the hangar doors, and listening intently.

           "I don't know what's going on," Nasia started. "But you're going to let my Padawan and I leave in one of these ships, then I'll let Captain Tether go unharmed."

           "We don't negotiate with traitors," Boulder hissed and Pebble the Massiff took a step forward, barking as if to say the same thing.

           If anything, what Nasia was demonstrating only reinforced the clones' delusion. Acting as if she was about to kill one of their brothers for the benefit of her and her student wasn't favorable in their eyes. "You know me. I'll do whatever I need to do, especially when you're threatening  my padawan."

           "They're just as guilty as the rest of the Order." Luther stated, raising his blaster. He aimed at the Jedi Knight's head but feared it was too close to Tether's. A fogginess swept through his mind. While he recognized the woman in front of him, her presence wasn't like before. It triggered fear and anger within him. "Good soldiers- Follow orders." He muttered, tightening his finger around the trigger.

           Nasia gasped, taking a step back with Tether and lifted her lightsaber to block the laser inches from their faces. Tether flinched, not realizing that now, he was multiple feet in the air while Nasia still held onto him. She had leaped to the side to dodge the reptilian dog that was approaching at full speed, then landed on a knee and shoved Tether away. It wasn't gentle by any means, but it was better than getting mauled, she thought.

           Sajji spun around the corner and against the wall. The sound of heavy blaster fire from the clones in the hangar burst in their ears. As each laser ricocheted off their master's lightsaber and against the metallic walls, they flinched. Though, closing their eyes seemed to do wonders. It shut them off from the rest of the environment and it became silent for a moment. Willingly opening their blue orbs again with a heavy exhale, the sound returned and they ignited their green blade. They came face to face with the Massiff, eyes widening.

           Tether closed in on Deck, dodging the swings from his rotary cannon. He noted that Deck was awfully quiet aside from the cries of anger while he aimed at Tether's head. The clone would never fail to make jokes on the battlefield, but now, he set his mind on killing his comrade instead. "Deck- Dank Farrick! Stop!" Kicking the weapon out of his hands with full force wasn't the end of it; Deck ripped a combat knife from his belt and rushed towards his captain, to which Tether let loose a round of blaster fire in the man's chest. He fell to his knees in disbelief but sounds of barking and blasters kept him from losing concentration. He turned to see Sajji being attacked by not only an animal but the clone that trained it.

           "Luther," Nasia's lightsaber had been deactivated as she landed from her jump, but she raised the hilt to her side,  slowly took Biwu's off of her belt, and held it out in front of her. "Not you too... I don't know what I did, but- Put it down. Just-"