Nanbaka: Rare, Second Chances Are

Chapter 2

Fox pov

Silently and stealthily, we navigated the halls toward the medical bay. The absence of encounters so far was disconcerting, and the eerie quiet added to the tension. We reached the medical bay just in the nick of time, barely evading the marching boots passing by. Sighing in relief, I pressed the lock button as an extra precaution, ensuring our sanctuary remained undisturbed.

"Let's hurry and get this done before they bring in Hound and his pet to sniff us out," I urged, moving towards the controls for the full-body x-ray. With efficiency, I prepared everything for the procedure, eager to complete it and escape the perilous situation. "Better hurry and pick which one of you is going first, or I volunteer myself," I added, my impatience evident.

"I'll go first," volunteered Dogma, calmly lying on the medical bed. Slick, taking charge, prepared to sedate him. Dogma inclined his head, allowing Slick to administer the drug. As the sedation took effect, his eyes slowly closed, and I initiated the x-ray process. The images revealed nothing, no indication of a chip within his skull.

A sudden sound from the vents startled us. Instinctively, I handed a blaster to Slick, gripping my own, and pointed it towards the vent. "Who's there? Come down slowly and quietly," I commanded, making my voice audible to everyone in the room.

To our surprise, a small Kel Dor youngling emerged, hanging from the vent. The child, with goggles and a mask obscuring his facial features, seemed no older than twelve. Slick quickly identified him as a Padawan youngling. Lowering my blaster, we realized he posed no threat, and I gestured for Slick to do the same.

"It's just a child," Slick pointed out, a hint of relief in his voice.

"A Padawan youngling," I added, discerning the bravery in the child's eyes. I put away my blaster and approached cautiously. The youngling, trembling with fear, wrapped his arms around my neck, seeking comfort. Uncertain of how to comfort a child, I reassured him, "Hey, hey, it's okay. You're safe now, no need to be scared. You're alright."

As the child lifted his head, goggled eyes meeting mine, he stuttered, "Y-your not going to kill me." I shook my head, dispelling his fears. "No, no. I'm not – we're not going to kill you. We've gone against the order." The child buried his face against my neck again, sobbing. Attempting to soothe him, I whispered words of comfort.

Realizing the child was far from the Jedi Temple, I inquired, "How did you get so far away from the temple?"

"M-My Creche and I fought to the best of our ability. But we were vastly outmatched, even with the Guards and Jedi. We ran as far away as we could, scattered across the city. The older kids took the babies while the rest of us either stuck together or separated to make things easier for everyone. I've been avoiding clones, managing to escape through the ventilation. Now here I am," the child recounted, painting a grim picture of their escape.

Moved by the youngling's tale, I reassured him, "Is your brother hurt?" His concern brought me back to the urgency of our mission. "Uh, n-no. We're trying to remove a bio-ship from his head. That's making my brothers do these horrible things."

"So it wasn't intentional; they're being controlled," the insightful youngling remarked.

"Yeah, but we're not having any luck finding it, no matter how far the scanner can go, and the x-ray is showing negative," I explained, appreciating the child's astuteness.

"May I try?" The unexpected offer surprised me, and I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. "You would help us, after all that's happened?" I asked, hoping this wasn't a dream. The child's response, a nod with lifted cheeks, erased any doubt.

"Of course. I always felt left out because of how small I was for my age. I hated feeling useless when I can do something about it. So yes, I will help you," the youngling declared. Inspired by his determination, I put him down, and we followed him toward Dogma's unconscious form.

Observing the x-ray and the child's Force abilities at work, we witnessed a breakthrough. Placing clawed hands on either side of Dogma's head, the child concentrated the Force into his hands, reciting, 'I'm one with the Force, and the Force is with me.' The mantra echoed, with Dogma joining in. The x-ray screen finally revealed the elusive chip, and the child guided us through its removal. I spared myself the gruesome sight, trusting the child to complete the task successfully.

As Dogma was pulled out with a bacta patch covering the stitched skin, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. The scar left behind was a small price to pay for liberation. We repeated the process with Slick, the child displaying remarkable control and precision in his Force manipulation. Finally, it was my turn, with Dogma taking control of the controls. As I laid down, the child directed the procedure, his words a comforting hum in the background.

Taking off my helmet without hesitation, I momentarily forgot about the mismatched eyes, the heavy bags underneath, and the few gray strands in my hair. The child's innocent complement caught me off guard, causing my cheeks to flush. Slick and Dogma chuckled, teasing me good-naturedly.

"I will agree with the eyes. But, you need sleep and lots of it. Maybe then you'll start looking handsome with those pretty eyes," Slick teased, prompting a playful glare from me.

"Looking forward to it," I quipped, laying down, ready to surrender to sleep. It felt like mere seconds when someone shook me awake. "-ake up. Come on, the faster we leave, the more you can sleep yourself into a grave," Slick urged, his voice a blend of urgency and humor. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Hello, honey," I joked, sitting up and leaning against Slick for support.

"Stop it, escape first, jokes second." "You're one to talk," I retorted, turning my attention to the door, where the sound of brothers yelling orders and Hound's pet snarling grew louder.

"That doesn't sound good. They brought in Hound and his pet," I informed them, the noise getting closer. "There's no other way out," Dogma assessed, scanning the room.

"Yes, there is, the air vents." The Kel Dor pointed a claw at the ceiling.

"Good idea, kid. The only problem is how are we getting up there?"

"Uuuuh, Commander." Turning to see Dogma, a few feet in the air, trying not to panic. "That will work," Slick said amused. "I know the way out, let me get you all up there, through the vents, and we're free," the kid offered. Nodding, I put my helmet back on, grabbed the bag of our bio-chips, erasing any evidence of our presence.

Turning back to the vent, I noticed Slick and Dogma were already inside. Floating towards them, I grabbed onto their arms, helping myself shimmy up. Looking down at the kid, ready to jump towards the open vent, the medical bay doors were forced open. Grabbing the cover back, I watched as the kid led us towards the exit. Sneaking out was amusing, filled with complaints about views of shebes and teasing about my own. Although Slick started teasing me, intentionally stopping for his face to hit my shebes, then Dogma getting a face full of Slick's, the kid seemed to find the situation highly entertaining, his body shaking violently every time we voiced our shebes-related grievances.

"Are we almost there yet?" Dogma whispered.

"Yes," the kid replied in a hushed tone.

"Good because I'm getting tired of Slick's shebes in my face."

"Too bad, the Commander's is fine," Slick teased.

"Stop it," I gritted my teeth in embarrassment, choosing not to halt for another shebes-in-the-face moment and kept crawling. "We're here," the kid said, pushing the vent cover aside. Carefully and quietly sliding out of the vent, I caught the other two, unsure of their agility. Once safely on the ground, I stretched my joints, eager to embark on a new life. First, we had to avoid certain death. Shaking his head, the kid declined any thanks, stating he was merely doing the right thing. "Anyway, I think it's best we part ways, my friends. I hope you all survive and live your lives of your choice," he added, bowing before leaping onto the rooftops, disappearing into the distance.

"Nice kid," Dogma remarked, smiling in the direction the kid had vanished. Slick nodded in agreement, "Hopefully, he survives this mess."

Nodding, I echoed the sentiment. "Let's go."