June Of Doom Day 6: Broken Promise

June of Doom Day 6: Broken Promise

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Summary: Four times Hunter broke his promise to Crosshair about leaving Kamino.

    "When our training is over, I'll find a way to get us the hell away from here." Hunter sat with Crosshair. They were 15 years old. Well at least their bodies where. Their brother Tech was in the medical bay. Some regs had decided he was 'too different' and thought that starting a fight would resolve his 'problems'. He was barely breathing when Crosshair found him.

    "Where would we go?" Crosshair looked up at his brother. They say on the floor, Crosshair's back against the wall. His knees where pulled up into his chest.

    "I'll figure it out. I promise." Hunter put his hand on Crosshair's knee. "I promise."

    "Will Tech be okay? They really messed him up."

    "He'll be okay. We'll help him get though it."

    "When I find out who did this, it's over for them." Drying his eyes, Crosshair stood.

    "I know."

    "When the war is over, we'll get out of here. We will never come back to Kamino."

    "If we live to see the end of the war." Crosshair stood by his bunk. His tone was bitter as he spoke. He held his helmet under his right arm.

    "We will." Hunter sat on his bunk. Wrecker had come into the barracks, years in his eyes, after some regs made fun of his scar. They had started to come up on his blind spot and scare him. While the batch did the same thing, they did it out of love.

    "I need to get out of this place." Out of frustration, Crosshair threw his helmet to the ground.

    "I know. I promise, when the war is over, we'll leave." Hunter sighed and leaned against the wall of his bunk.

    "You said that before."

    "Cross, things changed. This is where we need to be."

    "After the war, you promise?"

    Standing, Hunter walked over to Crosshair's helmet and picked it up. Gently he handed it to him, "I promise."

    Now it was after the war. Hunter sat in the front of the Marauder. As they left Kamino, likely for the final time, Hunter looked at where Crosshair should be. However Crosshair was still on the planet. It was his choice to stay with the empire. It was his choice to stay on Kamino

Hunter understood why Crosshair hated kamino so much. It was always raining, cold, and if it wasn't raining, it was humid. The regs never acted like they were their brothers; their family. The Kaminons lacked the ability to see them as more then weapons. There was so much to hate about it; yet Hunter never did.

Crosshair was alone. Hunter had broken his promise to get him away from kamino. He hated it, but he had broken that promise over and over. Walking back to the bunks in the Marauder, the man sighed as he sat on his bunk. If he had a chance, he'd take his brother far away from the Empire.

Topica City was gone. The Empire had destroyed it. For once, it wasn't raining. Everyone was okay. Hunter stood on the landing platform that the batch had landed the Marauder on. He stared at Crosshair, trying to figure out what to say. Maybe he should remind him of their promise or how he could keep it this time.

Instead, Crosshair stayed on the platform. The batch left him there, on kamino. It was the empire that made Crosshair stay. His inhibitor had long been removed so he must believe in the cruel and corrupt system the Empire had built off the destruction of the Jedi and the Republic.

Some promises are meant to be broken. There was only so much that was in Hunter's control and staying on wasn't in it. It may have been his home but it was Crosshair's house.

Sitting in his bed, Hunter thought back to 15 years old Crosshair and teared up. He really did try to keep the promise of leaving kamino.

Reblog if I can go on your page and write stupid things in your ask box whenever I'd like to.

Whump: The Musical Day 7: The Last Five Years (I will not lose because you can not win.")

Fandom: The Batch Batch

Warning: Cannon typical violence

Summary: When Hemlock invades Pabu, the batch has to fight for their lives as well as the lives of the citizens of the peaceful Island.

Ao3 link

  Today was supposed to be an ordinary day. When Hunter had woken up, he was dragged down to the beach by Omega and Deke. They wanted to show him that they had learned how to surf. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Hunter was proud of the clones for learning how to be children.

    Wrecker had forced Crosshair down to the beach as well. The warm sand and pleasant smell should help him to relax the man thought. So the three brothers sat on a red towel and started to talk. It wasn't much, but it was somewhere to start.

    Mox and Stak joined them shortly and started to work on a sand castle. Some clouds covered the sunny sky. But when Hunter looked up, they weren't clouds. Imperial vessels blocked the sun.

    This couldn't be happening. Pabu was supposed to be safe. It wasn't meant for invasions. So many of the people spent too long running just to have to up their whole lives again. Hunter looked back down.

    Looking at Crosshair, he spoke. "Get Omega and the boys to the ship. Be ready to leave. Call Echo and tell him we need help, immediately."

    In truth, Hunter knew why he chose Crosshair. With his hand, even if he hadn't told them yet, he knew that he'd be the one whose help they need the least. Now if he could still hit any mark, that could have been a different story.

    But there was more to that. Wrecker had a history with Pabu. He would protect it fiercely. The island was his home, the people were his family.

    As Deke rode a wave in, Hunter stood. The father ran out to two of his youngest that were in the water. "Go over to Crosshair" he told them. They nodded before Hunter went to Mox and Stak and pulled them up from the sand.

    "What's going on?" Mox asked. Nervousness was written all over his face.

    "The empire-"

    "We could tell" Stak interrupted.

    "Go with your siblings." It was the first time he had outright called their siblings to their faces. If it had been any other time, Hunter would have said more. For now, it would have to wait."

    As Hunter walked the other two over with the rest of the group, Omega started to talk. "We can help!"

    "I know, but it's you they want and the boys haven't finished their training. It's safer this way."

    "And someone needs to watch Cross." Wrecker tried to add some humor to the situation.

    Phee joined them on the beach, knowing that it was Clone Force 99 who had unfortunately brought the Empire to Pabu. Hunter walked over to her before she met the rest of the group. "Make sure Omega gets out of here. They want her and we wouldn't let her get taken again."

    "Okay." She looked past the Sargent, "come on kids, let's get you to safety!"

    Sighing, Crosshair grabbed Omega and picked her up. "Come on."

    "Put me down!" Omega fought Crosshair all the way up the beach.

    "Now what?" Wrecker asked.

    "We fight."

    At the Mauradur, Crosshair was quick to make the decision to leave. Batcher awoke from her nap and laid with Omega to help keep her calm. The boys mostly sat with her or talked to Crosshair as they left the atmosphere and headed to Coruscant to meet with Echo.

    As the days passed, the battle of Pabu seemed to be more and more helpless. Civilians were dying, some who had fought and some who had not.    

    When the bad batch had settled on Pabu, they taught Shep how to shoot. The mayor had agreed to ease their minds, never thinking he would need to use this new skill. Unfortunately it was only a matter of time. Lyana stayed near her father when she could. Mostly she was hidden with other children.

    When the invasion began, Hunter had suddenly become a Sargent again. It had been a long time since he played that role. Civilians who had fought in wars, civil or intergalactical, had taken up their old military rank. It was strange.

    The invasion had lasted days. Hemlock wouldn't give up until he found Omega, unaware she had been taken off world. Pabu was being torn apart, lives crumbled to the ground and while some knew why the empire had attacked, most didn't. For the people who did, they couldn't and wouldn't be mad at Clone Force 99 for trying to live peaceful lives and for trying to protect their daughter and little girl.

    It had been four days into the fighting when Hemlock showed his face. When Hunter met Hemlock for the second time, injured and tired, he knew meeting the scientist twice was three times too many.

    "Hello CT-9901, or should I say Hunter?" Hemlock spoke.

    Startled and out of breath, Hunter didn't answer. It had been so long since he heard his CT number, he had almost forgotten it. Still, he knew the malice behind it.

"This can all end, just give me the girl."

"Never." Hunter moved behind a counter. He sank to the floor for a moment.

"I figured as much. I truly am impressed that you are capable of forming such a bond with her. A parental role appears to come so easily to you."

The words made Hunter's skin crawl. Why would he be unable to form a bond with her? Omega was his daughter, nothing could change that. Was it because he was a clone? Was that why he was deemed unable to love a child, to have children he felt were his own?

"The safest option for your men and the civilians of this island, is to stop the fighting. You cannot win this battle, Sargent."

"I will not lose because you can not win."

Silents filled the room. They stood in a ruined kitchen. The checkered floors were stained with blood and glass. The cabinets had been torn open by both the empire and the citizens of Pabu. They needed food and they needed wood. The empire hadn't taken their time to bring out flame throwers to scorch the island and its people.

"You, won't win this." Hunter reinforced the idea. "You can't. I won't let you. " Pulling his knife from its sheath, he tried to find a clear shot at Hemlock.

The scientist couldn't win. In the end, he would round up every single citizen and kill them off. With Wrecker taking part in the fight, he needed his to be okay. With everything Tech had sacrificed to save them, they couldn't die here. Crosshair and his kids would be alone. It hurt knowing that Omega would blame herself for the slaughter of the people of Pabu. Echo would wish he arrived earlier and would blame himself for not being there to save them.

They needed saving. They couldn't do it alone. The Sargent only had one shot at killing Hemlock. Blood pooled under Hunter from his injuries. With broken ribs, multiple deep lacerations on his legs as well as his arms and one close to his neck, a few broken toes, and a large amount of bruising, the man was unsure how he had stayed alive this long. He could feel blood on the side of his face but he wasn't sure if it came from his left ear (since he couldn't hear from it) or from his head.

The vibro-knife shook in his hand. It almost felt foreign. Standing slowly, yet staying out of view, Hunter grabbed a piece of glass from behind the mahogany counter. Looking at it for a moment, he sighed. They couldn't afford to lose. Not anymore. Losing meant dying and for the first time in so long, Hunter had something to live for. His brothers and children and family he had made on Padu and his pets (Gonky included) all meant the world to him. No one else needed to die.

However, If he had to give all of that up to save them, to win the battle of Pabu, the battle for his family, he would.

Throwing the glass, Hunter hoped that it would distract Hemlock and his guards. When it did, the man stood fully and threw his knife. As soon as he saw it plunge deep into his skull, he felt a weight be lifted off of his chest. The weight was replaced with a bullet.

The tile cracked when he fell. There wasn't much Hunter could think about. The sound of ships overhead relieved Hunter. It had to be Echo. If not, the empire would take the island in a matter of hours.

Hunter's entire body hurt. The warm feeling of blood tangled with his hair. The glass had cut any exposed skin. The guards grabbed Hemlock's body and went to leave. Hunter listened to the footsteps as they faded. His mind was so foggy that evening and nothing made his sense. But Hemlock was dead. If that was Echo, which it had to be, Pabu would rebuild. The coppery smell of blood filled Hunter's nose.

Dying, Hunter tried to reach for his comm. Hitting it, the world started to fade. His hand rested on the communication device long enough for Echo to notice the soft noise of fire and gunshots that played over his headset. Then his hand slipped off the button and the comm channel went silent.

The man had never expected to wake up again. But when he saw a white roof, he knew something was different. Everything hurt too damn much for him to be dead. There was a steady, high pitched beeping that hurt his ears; or at least the one he could still hear out of.

Had they won? Was everyone safe? Where was his family, his kids?

"Hunter!" Omega yelled, answering one of his questions. "He's awake" she shook Echo awake.

"Hunter?" Echo grounded as he sat up. Then he pinched himself.

"You actually woke up." Crosshair stood up. "It's been a week."

"Leave him alone. He needed his beauty rest" Wrecker joked. The boys and Batcher sat in the corner of the room, still half asleep.

"Is everyone, okay?" Hunter finally said, struggling to speak.

"We're okay."

"Pa-Pabu."

"In shambles. We were about to leave to help with the rebuilding and attend a few funerals. We'll send you regards. They people were rooting for you." Echo told him.

"We're lucky you came in when you did. You saved us." Nudging Echo, Wrecker walked over to wake up the boys.

"Where-"

"Alderaan. Rex has some allies here. We couldn't help you on our own, the damage done to you, it was too extensive." Walking beside Hunter, Echo stood next to him.

"Dad!" Deke yelled, excited. He ran over to him and just about toppled Echo.

"You're actually alive" Stak added.

"Hey." Mox was the last to stand as he was trying to not disturb Batcher.

Hemlock's words about his parental instincts ran through Hunter's head. However, that didn't matter. He was their father. Just because he was a clone didn't mean he didn't form bonds with people he cared dearly for.

"We can stay for a little but Hunter needs to rest, we need to get back to Pabu." Walking to the door, Echo went to tell the nurses that Hunter had woken up.

Omega clung to Hunter's arm, determined to never let go. Crosshair and Wrecker sat at the end of the bed. Wrecker looked rough but that was to be expected.

"Tell me everything later" the Sargent whispered.

"We will." After a few hours, Echo decided it was time to go. Omega and Batcher stayed with Hunter while the rest left for Pabu. Knowing that Hemlock couldn't hurt her, made breathing just a little bit easier. So did knowing that most everyone he cared about was safe; though by now someone would have told him if Phee, Shep, or Lyana had died.

Everything would be okay. It had to be. Now that Hemlock was out of the way, maybe the batch could live a peaceful life. Even if Hunter knew they would end up in the fight, it was a nice thought. But the clone knew his place was fighting for peace. After all, if he wanted Omega and his boys to be safe, he needed to make a safer galaxy. And that was okay with him. If he needed to fight he would. For his children.

@whumpthemusical

Day 4: Les Misérables (Survivors Guilt)

Fandom: Star Wars (Post Order 66)

Summary: Obi-wan Kenobi deals with his guilt.

    It had been years since the end of the Clone War. Obi-wan still thought about it often. He wondered how he survived or why he kept persevering.

    When he was 25 he survived a battle with a sith. As a padawan he should have been the one laying in the ground. But instead Qui-gon, his only father figure, died.

    During the war he watched his friends slowly die off until he was the only survivor of his friend group from his earlier years. It didn't seem fair. He still stood even as his men fell beside him.

    Maul killed innocent people to get his attention. He killed Satine just to get to him. Her death had been his fault yet he walked away.

    The Jedi purge had killed most every Jedi. The clones, their most trusted ally had killed their Jedi generals and commanders. The younglings in the temple had been slaughtered like cattle. They were defenseless.

    Most of the council had fallen yet he was alive. Instead of fighting, Obi-wan walked away. He hid Luke from his father; a monster he had taken part in creating. Even if by accident, there had to be something he could have done for Anakin.

    Everyone around the man died. Their ghost haunted every corner of his cave. They whispered in his ears, asking him why he survived.

    Maybe he needed to go outside. So the man walked out of the cave. He let the hot sun touch his skin. Every part of his old life tormented him. The memories plagued his life. They destroyed him in the same way he domed the people around him.

    The sun only made him hotter. He had hoped that maybe it would melt some of the guilt that had frozen him, but it didn't. Luke was around five now.

    The man had fallen into a routine. Yet nothing he tried made him feel any better. Obi-wan didn't want to spend the rest of his life miserable, he didn't want to be consumed by the tormenting memories and guilt that he had been swallowed whole by.

    Maybe a walk could help?

    Walking around, Obi-wan couldn't escape his own mind. Padme should be raising her children. But Obi-wan had let Anakin kill her. He couldn't save her, maybe no one could.

    Dealing with others survivor guilt had been easy. Obi-wan knew how to comfort Cody when his brothers died, he could help with the feeling that he should have done more or that he should have been there or that it should have been him. The jedi could explain that nothing could have been done and that his brothers wouldn't want him to feel so guilty over something he couldn't control.

    The same has gone for Anakin and the rest of his men. Obi-wan had talked to Kit Fisto when he started to feel that way and he had helped to calm Depa Billaba with the death of her first battalion. He had helped to guide Anakin in helping Rex with the guilt of Umbara.

    It wasn't so easy to get rid of the guilt yourself. Nothing helped. Obi-wan started to run. Like running would do anything. You can't outrun yourself, it's impossible. Getting away from the cave, from where his lightsaber rested, seemed like a good idea. Maybe he just needed to get away from that faster?

    It was hard to run in the sand. Stopping, Obi-wan sat in the scorching hot sand. What was doing? This was where his life was supposed to go. He was supposed to be living happily with the people he'd lost.

    There was nothing left to do. So he walked home. Tears fell from his eyes as he walked. The guilt worsened with every step.

    Being the survivor was hard. It might have been one of the hardest things Obi-wan had ever done. But there was no way to change that. The fact was he wasn't god, he wasn't even close. All the people who died were going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Obi-wan Kenobi was just a man. No man on his own can prevent death. No matter how hard they try they can only put it off.

    The entrance of the cave Obi-wan sighed. Facing himself, he walked in and sat down on his bed. Laying down, he let every feeling drag him down until he was lying there sobbing. Sometimes you have to let yourself feel it.

    Hours went by and he finally calmed down. The feelings would live with him forever. The memories would haunt him forever. There was nothing he could change and now he had to live with it. Why he survived, Obi-wan still didn't know, but there had to be a reason. There had to be. The Jedi just wished he knew what it was.

June of Doom Day 3: Ambushed

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: we're resting in a village before continuing with their mission, the batch faces an unforeseen event.

    "Thank you." Hunter told the Tagrutan lady as his squad entered her home. They had been in the woods near her village as night felt. While Tech tried to stabilize Crosshair's broken leg, the women and her wife had stumbled upon them. Then she invited them back to her home, offering to let them stay the night so that they could take care of Crosshair's injuries and rest.

    "Of course, anything to help out our troops."

    Walking into the living room, they found that one of their hosts had pulled out a pull out coach. There were light sheets on the mattress and a few small decorative pillows.

    "Stay still." Tech told Crosshair. "You have broken your Tibia, I need to stabilize it so you don't make it any worse."

    Crosshair just scowled. Tech instructed Wrecker to move their brother's leg into the mattress. The batches host brought them some water and bread. She handed them out to each clone before informing them that her and her wife would be heading to bed. "Wake us up if you need anything or before you leave."

    "We will." Hunter sat in one of the corners of the sofa bed and ate his bread. The soldiers talked about their next move and how to complete their mission.

    As Tech finished wrapping Crosshair's leg, Hunter spoke. "We have a long day ahead of us, get some rest."

    It was a few hours later when Hunter woke up. Tiredly, he went to find what was making the noise. Walking to the door of the house, he looked out the window. There seemed to be nothing there. However the rhythmic clanking of battle droids was the only thing Hunter could hear.

    It wouldn't be the first time that the man heard something that wasn't there.  Maybe he should wake up Tech to get his opinion. Walking back over to the living room, he gently shook Tech awake.

    "Do you hear that?"

    "What should I be hearing?"

    "Droids."

    "I do not hear any droids, however you hear better than in do. I think it best we check." Standing from the corner of the sofa be occupied, Tech grabbed his shoes and put them on. Falling his brother's lead, Hunter grabbed his shoes and put them on. Quickly, as he had done a million times before, he tried them.

    Standing back up, Hunter walked to the door. Tech stood beside it. They had never bothered taking off their armor, just in case they needed to leave quickly.

    The air outside was vastly different from the warth of the house. It was a chilly night, one where the cold air bit you. Tech made sure Hunter was okay with the quick temperature change. He was more sensitive to fast changes the environment. After his brother nodded, the two walked into the surrounding woods.

    The pine trees stood tall around them. The night sky was dark with stars littered across it. The clones walked towards the sound of the noise until they no longer heard the sound. It hadn't faded, just holited. Tech and Hunter looked at each other and they came to the same realization.

    They were surrounded.

    Hunter had been so sure that he was imagining things; so sure it was just his mind playing cruel jokes on him, that he hadn't thought to wake up Wrecker. Now they had to hold off an ambush on their own.

    Just as they thought, the droids revealed themselves as the two soldiers drew their blasters.  Ducking behind a tree, Hunter took out the droids that had landed on the clear side of the tree. The pleasant scent of the pine trees was taken over by the smell of oil and melted metal.

    Grabbing Tech, Hunter pulled him behind the tree. "Wrecker, come in."

    While waiting for a reply from their younger brother, they started to take out as many droids as they could. More droids just seemed to replace the others.

    As Tech leaned over the tree, he remembered the empty space from where the droids Hunter had taken out had stood. More than likely, others would take their place. Of course, he was correct. Shooting the one that was about to kill Hunter, he caught a bullet to his left shoulder blade. Hunter disposed of the droid before asking "are you okay?"

    "I was shot in the left scapula at an approximate distance of fifty feet" Tech hissed, "I am not okay."

    "Wrecker, now would be a good time!"

    Waking up, Wrecker looked down at his comm, then over to the empty corners of the sofa. Finally registering the panic in Hunter's voice, he answered.

    "What's going on?"

    "Droids. A lot of them. Tech's been shot but he's still conscious, just in pain."

    Already walking out the door, Wrecker asked "where are you?"

    "Just follow the sound of blaster fire." Hunter sighed. It shouldn't take long for Wrecker to find them. It had taken 20 minutes to get out as far as they had and they hadn't been running.

    "Okay. Be there soon." With that, Wrecker turned off his comm.

    With more droids coming from all sides, Tech tried to think of a plan. The pain in his shoulder seemed to be getting in the way of forming many coherent thoughts. They needed a plan, nothing would change that.

    Breathing began to be more complicated. Tech looked over at Hunter. "We need a plan."

    "You don't have one?" Hunter asked, shooting another few droids before turning to face him. Most of the time, it was almost impossible to tell what Tech was thinking based on his facial expression; however, currently all that Hunter could see was pain and fear.

    "No. It is getting very difficult to form cogent thoughts." His voice was shaking as tears had started to form in his eyes from the pain.

    "Okay." Shooting some more droids down, Hunter tried to put together a plan. While the batch came up with strategies together and Hunter worked on them often, it was sort of like a hobby for Tech. "We wait." Wrecker would be there soon.

    "Okay."

    Wrecker ran through the forest. Briers caught on his ankles and rocks stabbed into the bottom of his feet. The sound of blaster fire was getting closer and closer.

    As the droids closed in, Hunter looked over at Tech. "How much longer do you think we have?"

    Tech shot a droid on their side of the tree, "maybe five minutes. There is only so much we can do. I would" he hissed as he rose his left arm to shoot another  droid. "I would comm Wrecker."

    "Okay."

    The droids cornered them, forcing their backs as far into the tree as they could. The two brothers looked at each other. They had an understanding that they had done all they could. "I'm sorry." Hunter said.

    "It is not your fault."

    As they prepared for death, they heard a large amount of rustling in the bushes. Hunter sighed as he realized Wrecker had made it in time.

    "Raaahhhhhh!" Wrecker burst through the bushes he was around. Plowing through the droids, Wrecker grabbed his gun and started shooting them down. Hunter pulled Tech up and the two helped Wrecker dispose of the rest of the droids.

    "I wish you had arrived a moment earlier." Tech sighed, "however I am aware you likely did your best and I am solely talking out of pain."

    Gently, Wrecker picked up Tech and the brothers made their way back to the house. When they arrived, Tech informed Hunter of what to do for his shoulder.

Wrecker sat on the couch, pulling his feet onto the bed. "Wrecker" Hunter started, "where are your shoes?"

"I didn't put them on."

"Are you okay?"

Pulling a thorn out of the bottom of his foot, Wrecker said, "yep. I'm good."

"Okay." After finishing taking care of Tech's shoulder, Hunter walked over to Wrecker and bandaged his feet.

The sun would rise soon and the batch would have to continue on with their mission. It would be a success, even with the injuries that had proven to be a challenge for the batch.

Whump: The Musical Day 2: Wicked ("No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.")

Fandom: Star Wars (bad batch time zone but not the batch)

Warning: referenced and an attempted suicide of a side character

Summary: Caleb stops a man from killing himself. When some citizens see this they report him to the authorities.

    Why did Caleb have to save that man?

    Roofs were a good place to travel when you didn't want to be found. The ex-padawan learned that pretty fast. Being above everyone had its advantages. Seeing everything that was going on below you made being someone everyone wanted dead at but safer.

    But then he came across a man who was ready to jump. Before Caleb could stop himself he started to talk. "Sir?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

    The man looked panicked as he turned around. "Get going kid. You don't want to see this." Before he could say anything, the twi'lek jumped.

    Running to the side of the six story building, instinct kicked in and Caleb reached for him. Before the man hit the ground, he found himself levitating. There was a look of surprise on his face, as well as the faces of the people nearby.

    The danger the child had put himself in, hadn't made it's way to his fears yet.

    Caleb ran down the stairs. Skipping steps made him reach the bottom quicker. Bursting though the metal doors, the boy ran to find the man who was still sitting on the sidewalk. "Sir?" He started. "Are you okay?"

    Crying, the man tried to smile. "Thank you kid. I'm okay."

    "So, what's been going on?" Caleb said as he sat next to the older man.

    "You're a child."

    "Then let's find someone for you to talk to." He stood again and extended a hand to the man. The Twi'lek nodded and took his hand.

    "Do you have any family or friends?" As he spoke, Caleb started to feel the eyes on him. He realized what had happened. Shoving the thought off to the side, he starts to lead the man away from the crowded street.

    "No."

    "Same" was the first thing that came to Caleb's mind but he figured he probably shouldn't say that.

    "How about I take you to the nearby hospital? They can help you there."

    Despite the look of defeat in his face, the man agreed.

    They took the scenic route. Caleb knew he needed to avoid larger streets. With the empire around and with them knowing he was around, hiding was important.

    As they closed in on the hospital, a voice came from behind them. "There! Get the Jedi!"

    Turning around, Caleb looked at them. Then he turned to the man, "I have to go. Please, take care."

    Then it was time to run. The padawan did a lot of that. It hurt, having to run away from the man. Every part of him wanted to finish taking him to the hospital.

    The imperial presence on the planet was a large one. Hiding, Caleb ducked into a building. Then he started to run for the roof. They seemed to be his only safe place. He always liked sitting in the highest place he could find at the temple.

    The kid made his way to the stairs. Tripping over some stairs on the third floor, slowed him down. His ankle was sore.

    On the stairs of the sixth floor, imperials caught up to him. The door was in sight. Pushing the men down the stairs, Caleb threw open the door to the roof. Without looking back, he jumped to the next building.

    After a while of jumping from building to building, Caleb took a break. Out of breath, he started to curse himself out. Why did he have to save that man? Jedi  instincts were going to get him killed.

    "No good dead goes unpunished I guess" he whispered. It seemed he almost lived by this saying. Every time he helped someone, something bad happened to him. Maybe he should learn to control his companion. Maybe he should have just let the man have his way out.

    Listening to his surroundings, he deemed it was safe to wait a few more minutes. Sitting down, Caleb looked at his ankle. Luckily, he had just twisted it.

    It was time to move. There was a nagging feeling in the kids heart that told him he needed to make sure the man had gotten to the hospital alright. It wasn't too far, even if he had been running in the opposite direction.

    The stairs down the building he had ended up on, creaked as he walked down them. Opening the door, Caleb faced the night. The beautiful sunset that had previously painted the sky, was gone. It was a pretty sight to kill yourself too. The red and orange in the sky would have matched the red on the pavement as well as the orange of the man's skin.

    Caleb snuck around, trying to find a discreet way to the hospital. "Why am I doing this?" He muttered. "This is gonna get me killed."

    After a while of walking and a few close calls with the empire, Caleb found the hospital. Seeing the nurse reach for the phone sent a cold chill down the kid's spine. "Excuse me?" He said, his voice going up a few octaves. "Did a Twi'lek come in earlier to be admitted to the psychiatric ward?"

    "Are you family?" The nurse asked, setting her phone down. She hasn't been calling about him.

    "No, I'm the person who stopped him and brought him most of the way here. I just-" he sighed, trying to keep from crying. "I just wanted to make sure he got here okay."

    The nurse came around from her station. "He came in. He's been admitted." She put her hand on his shoulder. "You're a good kid."

    "Thank you. I'm just doing my job." That probably sounded strange to the poor nurse.

    "Can I call your parents, I'm sure they'll be proud of you for saving that man's life."

    What did he tell her? She was right, Depa would be proud. "My Mom's out of town. I'll just head home."

    "Okay. Stay safe."

    "Can I do me a favor?" He asked quietly.

    "I'm sure I can." The girl kneeled beside him.

    "Can you tell him I got away safely? That I came to check on him, and if the empire asks, can you say I was never here? I'm just trying to survive and every time I do something to help people, it always gets me caught and I'm just so tired." Tears welled in Caleb's eyes and the nurse tightened her grip on his shoulder.

    "Of course I can." She pulled him into a hug and Caleb started to cry. It had been so long. The boy wasn't sure how long he had been there, but by the time he stopped crying, his throat was sore and his eyes hurt.

    The nurse let go of him and walked around the counter. Grabbing soothing she walked back over to him. "Use this to get you something to eat. This is a safe place for you."

    "Thank you. For everything. Hopefully this doesn't hurt you. My Captain, Styles-"

    "You fought in a war?"

    Instead of answering, Caleb continued his sentence. "He used to say that no good deed goes unpunished. Just be careful." Before she could ask any more questions, Caleb made his way to the door.

    The nurse caught up to him, "hey kid." She kneeled down beside to make sure no one else would hear what she had to say. "May the force be with you."

    There was something comforting about hearing that. "Thank you." With that he left the hospital and shortly after that, the planet.