Earthlings 2: The Dark Age

12

19 BBY, Space

The escape from Coruscant went surprisingly well, given its status as the Imperial Center and the fact that it was 6:00 in the evening... Eli wondered if the fact that they were in Level 1313, a level in the Coruscant Underworld nowhere near the surface was a factor in the successful escape. After all, the Underworld wasn't known for being too vigilant.

Now they were offworld, in the Marauder- a modified Omicron class attack shuttle that Clone Force 99 called home. Eli had seen it once before on Anaxes, but boarding it was a different story.

"So... what did I miss?" He asked while playing with Noble's dog- a loth wolf by the name of Dume. Not Caleb (to Eli's surprise). Just Dume.

"Oh, where do we even begin?" Hunter replied with an amused look.

"We escaped Kamino," Noble piped in. "After saving Omega."

"Yeah, then the Empire destroyed it," Echo added.

Eli was horrified. "Kamino? Destroyed-?"

"Just the facility," Tech clarified. "But it was a heavy loss nevertheless."

Of course it was; clones saw Tipoca City as a home. They'd been there for most of their lives until they were deployed to fight offworld. And of course, the Empire probably didn't even bat an eye. After all, they'd probably be replaced with stormtroopers soon, if not already.

"What... else happened?" He managed as Dume reached for the ball in his hand. "And does this guy like strangers?"

"Oh, yeah," Noble replied with a chuckle, stepping forward towards the wolf. "He loves strangers, unless they're bad people. Right, Dume?"

Dume yipped happily. "Stranger, good person."

"Aww, I'm a good person?" Eli asked as Dume finally acquired the ball after a few moments. "Thanks..."

Dean chuckled. "I love dogs."

"I know, right?" Noble snuggled Dume, who licked her face. "They're just so cute and fluffy."

"As for what else happened, we got a job working for Cid," Echo chimed in.

"Cid-?" Eli raised a brow. "That old lady on Ord Mantell?"

"Yeah, that old lady," Wrecker confirmed.

"She smacked me for spilling Mantell Mix on her slot machine," Dean recalled, shaking his head in amusement.

"She compared Oreo to Ketch," Eli added with a snicker.

"And she called Ponds 'Honcho'. " The two laughed, the memories of Ord Mantell still fresh after the end of the war. Since then, Ponds and Oreo had both fallen before they could see what became of the former Republic now. Maybe it was for the better; Eli didn't know how he'd react to Ponds or Oreo as stormtroopers.

"Yeah, Cid's like that," Echo said before turning to the cockpit. "So, back to the supply run, eh?"

"Yep," Flash called back before turning to Tech. "So, Echiva, is it?"

"Where else would we get the moondrop lotus Gregor wants?" Tech asked rhetorically.

"Got a point there," Echo admitted. "What is a moondrop lotus anyway?"

"A white flower found in Echiva's bacta ponds," Tech said matter of factly. "It is highly useful for medical purposes. Though why Gregor  would request it is unfathomable to me..."

"All he said was that it's really important," Flash said cryptically. "Maybe it's for a charity donation. But then he can grab it himself, can't he-?"

Dean shook his head. "Last time I've seen him, he had a fractured leg from one of his latest stunts with Rex's underground network. He's in no condition to travel, much less to an outer rim planet full of who knows what."