The Survivor

Seven

Chocolate Croissants & Ice Breakers

"We found wonderland, you and I got lost in it..." 

"Here," Shadow said, sitting down on the edge of the ramp next to me and handing me a chocolate croissant.  

The ship was hovering in the air, overlooking the city of Pantora below.  Sitting on the ramp with our legs dangling off was far from safe.  Exactly why we loved it for some reason.  

I inspected the chocolate croissant suspiciously, not trusting him.  It could easily have drugs or sedatives or poison in it.  Even though it smelled delicious, I wasn't willing to risk it.  Shadow sighed when he saw me set the croissant down next to me.  

"Really?  Come on, you'll love it.  Just try some."  He took a bite of his own, having taken his helmet off when we'd entered the ship.  

I gave him a skeptical look.  "That doesn't prove anything.  Mine could have poison in it."  

He rolled his eyes.  "Partners don't poison partners.  Here, have mine if you don't trust yours."  

For a second, I was hesitant, but then I took the croissant from him.  What did I have to lose?  I slowly took a bite of it, immediately glad I had.  It was warm, the chocolate inside the flaky exterior gooey.  

I sighed.  "Fine.  This is really good."  

Shadow grinned at me, a smug look on his face, but he didn't say anything, just grabbed the croissant I'd set aside and took a bite from it.  We sat there in silence as the day ever so slowly darkened, the sun slowly being replaced by the moon.  

It was really peaceful, just sitting there and eating croissants.  I hadn't felt so peaceful or relaxed since... since I was with the Bad Batch.  When we were in the Marauder, flying back to Kamino after another successfully mission.  That was some of the only times I'd ever felt relaxed, like everything was okay.  

I shoved the memory out of my mind.  That time was gone.  It wasn't coming back.  I wasn't going back.  The likeliness of ever seeing them again was slim to none.  I just had to deal with it.  I was never going to see the people who felt like family to me again.  

Unfortunately, it seemed I was never good at dealing with things like that.  Of losing people, whether they were dead or just far away.  I'd refused myself grief when my first master and former clone legion was killed by the Separatist.  Now I was doing the same.  

"So," Shadow said, pulling me out of my thoughts as he finished the last chocolate croissant, making me frown at him.  "Since we're officially partners now, I think we need to do some ice breakers to get to know each other."  

I nodded slowly.  "And... how is breaking ice going to help with that?"  

He stared at me.  "You poor thing.  Ice breakers are like, simple questions to get to know each other.  Favorite color, food, place you want to go to, favorite ship, yada yada yada.  Surely you know what ice breakers are?"  

"Oh.  Right.  Of course, I know what ice breakers are.  I'm not an idiot."  I forgot I was supposed to act normal.  "You start."  

He gave me a looked before shaking his head and asking, "what's your favorite color?"  

My first instinct was black and red.  Clone Force 99's main colors.  I swallowed down the words, telling myself to get it together.  

"Gray," I said.  My third favorite, now promoted to first.  

He nodded.  "Mine's green.  Green with hints of blue and brown."  He paused before speaking again.  "Favorite food?"  

"Chocolate croissants," I said. 

He smirked.  "See, I know good food!  And you thought it was poison."  Shadow rolled his eyes, shaking his head a bit dramatically.  

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes too, smiling slightly.  "Favorite planet?"  

He shrugged.  "I've been to a lot, though most of them I don't get to stay for a while cause I'm busy working a job.  But the planet I grew up on was nice.  It's small, no big cities, just little towns all over the place, pretty flat, but the mountains have an amazing view if you can climb to level with the clouds."  

I smiled.  "Mandalore sounds great."  

Shadow looked at me, his eyebrows creased.  "I didn't grow up on Mandalore.  I was born there, but my older sisters decided to drop me off on some planet called Morsaund after our parents died."  

I froze.  Morsaund.  I knew that name.  There was a fracture of short memories I knew with that name.  Home.  It was where I'd lived before Mace Windu brought me to the Temple.  Where my family was.  

But it wasn't on any maps.  

Shadow tilted his head at me, my expression giving me away.  "What?"  

I shook my head.  "Nothing.  I've never heard of that planet before," I lied.  "I think I'm gonna go to bed, wake up early tomorrow.  Night."  

I got to my feet and walked into the ship, not giving him time to say anything.  After I changed into comfy long pajamas, I laid down on the top bunk in my room.  My lightsabers weighed heavily in my hands as I turned them over.  

The people of Morsaund hated Jedi, that much I knew.  Why, I didn't know.  When I'd gone with Clone Force 99 to help free them of Separatist control, they had been far from welcoming.  That was, until my older brother found out who I was.  But everyone else was still wary of me.  

Ever since I'd left the Order, my goal had been to go back to Morsaund.  But without money, a ship, or coordinates, it was practically impossible.  Shadow was from there too; he would know the way-he could take me.  But something in me was blocking myself off, not letting me question it any further.  

I sighed and tucked my lightsabers back into my satchel, keeping it close to me as I closed my eyes and slowly drifted into sleep.  

1005 Words 

Written September 14th / 16th, 2024 

Published October 12th, 2024