Cadet Captured

4. Cadet Captured

Guru and I make it into the barracks just as Commander Cody, Captain Rex, 99, a group of young cadets, and two recent graduates I recognize as Fives and Echo, decide they will fight back against the oncoming droids. Guru and I salute the commander and captain.

"Blitz and Guru reporting, sirs," I say. "General Skywalker sent us."

"The more the merrier," 99 grins.

He leads us to the armory, where Guru, the cadets, and I grab guns, and the graduated troopers pack grenades and ammo. More troopers join us as we race back to the barracks and set up defensive positions, the younger cadets and their guns hiding in the bunks.

As we blast the droids, 99 tosses us grenades until we've run out, having already been pushed back halfway down the bunks. The older mutation goes for more, and Guru, even though we have no armor, jumps out to cover him. I can't help but cry out as they are shot down.

The droids are almost all down when Commander Cody calls out, "Rex, Blitz, they need help in the main hanger. Go! We'll cover you!"

Rex nods at me, and I follow him out, running towards the main hanger. On the way, he surprises me by striking a conversation.

"I'm sorry about Guru," he says. "You have both been very brave, fighting openly without armor, following orders to the T. Once you graduate, I will be happy to take you and what's left of your squadron into the 501st."

"Really?" I ask. He glances back at me, as if wondering why I would even ask that. "Thank you, Captain Rex. It would be an honor, and I know my brothers would agree."

When we arrive, General Skywalker and the assassin woman are dueling over a canister of DNA. The canister is knocked out of her hand. She uses the force to call it back, but a trooper near me catches it instead.

"I suppose you expect me to surrender?" the woman asks lightly, glancing at a ship flying nearer.

"Actually, I plan to let the clones execute you right now," General Skywalker explains. Glancing at me, he adds, "And the cadet."

Suddenly, the woman uses the force to pull me to her, holding me in front of her like a shield, her red saber near my neck.

"Blitz!" Captain Rex calls, his voice sounding angry and protective.

"Let me go, you bantha fodder," I seethe, struggling and attempting to stamp on the woman's feet. This only succeeds in the saber being brought closer to my skin, however.

The clones ready their blasters, but the woman pushes them all back with the force and, never letting go of me, jumps off the platform and into the passing ship. Once my head stops spinning, I see the pilot is none other than the droid general. I put up a fight, but the woman overpowers me, tying my hands behind my back and forcing me to my knees at the back of the small ship, before taking her seat.

"You failed your half of the mission, assassin," the droid says.

"I may have lost the canister, but I retrieved a cadet," the woman explains, her voice hard and emotionless. "Count Dooku can harvest her DNA for his mission."

Harvest my DNA? I shiver at the painful images running through my head, unsure if that's even possible.

"That would never work," the droid snaps. "Can't you see? A female clone? She's a mutation!"

"I'll let Count Dooku be the judge of that," the woman retorts, glancing at me. She kneels in front of me, placing a hand on the side of my face. "I'm sure you won't cause any trouble."

Grimacing at the woman, I muster up all my courage and launch a glob of spit at her face. Little did I know, that was a mistake. Taking out her saber, she holds the superheated blade against my side, burning straight through my uniform and searing the flesh. I cry out in pain as tears come to my eyes, fighting to get away. She stops, but the pain lasts, as well as the stench of charred flesh.

"That will teach you some respect, my dear," she coos, wiping away my tears. I shiver at the gentle touch. "Just wait until you meet Count Dooku. He will know what to do with you."

After hours of flight through space I've never seen before, we land on a planet unknown to me. I'm taken to a cell, and left with the promise that Count Dooku will deal with me soon. Alone in the dark, I begin working my hands out of the ropes binding me.

"Harvesting her DNA would be useless," an older voice sighs, coming nearer to my cell. "She is a mutation, Ventress. Her DNA will be too different from that of a regular clone's."

"Then perhaps you can sell her," the voice of the woman who captured me suggests. Ventress, I assume. "She is quite young, and will catch a hefty price."

"Perhaps," the man trails, entering my cell.

He must be Count Dooku. He has white hair and a matching beard and mustache, and is wearing dark robes. I stand to face him, holding my hands behind me as if they are still tied.

"Let me go," I seethe, venom in my voice. "I'm only a cadet. I'm of no use to you, Dooku."

Dooku gives a small, weary smile. "I see, young one, but you are almost of age to graduate your training. Tell me, what battalion are you to join?"

"I haven't been assigned," I lie. "As you said, I'm a mutation. Not as strong as my brothers."

"Then why do I sense that you are lying?" he asks, his voice taking on a dangerous tone.

Crap, I think. He knows something. Not sure what else I can do, I launch myself forward, attempting to wrap the rope previously binding my wrists around his neck. I drop to the ground, however, when pain sears through my mind. He used the force to hurt me. I didn't know that was possible.

Without letting up, Count Dooku asks a simple question to start.

"What is your number, cadet? Your nickname, too. Tell me."

"CT-..." I hesitate, trying to hold back the information. But the pain increases. "CT-7897," I cry out. "I'm c-called Blitz."

"Good, Blitz, good," Dooku praises. "And what battalion are you assigned to, little one?"

Wincing and crying out as the pain increases again, I stutter out, "T-the 501st. Please, stop!"

My mind is released from the pain. "I see," he considers. "That is the battalion under Skywalker and the clone captain Rex, is it not?"

Slowly, I nod, not sure what else to do. Without my brothers by my side, I'm weak. Helpless. That much is obvious. I couldn't even hold out under an old man's torture. But it had hurt, so much. I hadn't known it was possible to feel pain like that. It was so much worse than when Bric or the Beta Squadron beat me.

"Ventress, feel free to practice on her," Count Dooku says as he goes to leave. "We need her to look... roughed up, for the message."

Message? But I don't have time to ask, before Ventress is on me, testing various techniques of torture, both with the force and with her saber, causing the pain in my mind and burning me, again and again. My screams only seem to encourage her.