𝘚𝘈𝘓𝘜𝘛𝘌→𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩

bunch of outsiders.

              THE BAD BATCH HAD incredible guilt surging deep within them. There was a terrible sickness in the pit of their stomachs, and a pain in their chest that they had never experienced before. The men could hardly look at the remaining Jedi. She seemed broken inside, and that was a problem to them all in itself. Were Jedi supposed to feel this much?—That was a question weighing on most of their minds.
No mission had ever gone that bad. For the original four at least, not including Echo, they had never experienced a loss that bad before. And to be hit with a blow as hard as losing your general? As tough as the men portrayed themselves to be, it was painful. Especially when that general left behind a girl, who, like a child, suddenly seemed lost.

Alora Nero sat silently in the cockpit of the Havoc Maurauder. Her eyes still glazed over from tears, that finally had stopped momentarily, she was blankly staring at the galaxy ahead of her. The galaxy that's twinkling stars used to fill her with hope and wonder; now left her in pain. She would no longer be traveling the galaxy alongside her master.
She could hear it now;
   
Master Lo'ree Obrinth was a daring warrior.
Fighting for the freedom of the galaxy, one couldn't
ask for a more inspiring legacy.

Mourn her, do not. Miss her, do not.

Rejoice for those around you
who transform into the Force.

Alora couldn't fathom the idea of her master's name being forgotten. She remembered a time when she was just a youngling, being given a lesson on acceptance of death. At the time in her childhood, that seemed easy to her. She idolized the older Jedi, and wanted to be just like what they portrayed. She figured that dying for a wondrous cause was noble. But now—as it happened right before her very eyes—it seemed ridiculous. How could she not mourn her master? How could Alora not miss the woman who practically raised her? She was murdered right in front of her, and that is supposed to be Lo'ree's legacy...

"I cannot go back." Alora muttered, breaking the awful silence on the ship.

Tech, who sat next to her in his pilot's seat, lifted his eyes immediately to look at the girl. "I'm sorry?"

"I will not go back to Coruscant." Fresh tears were threatening to pour from Alora's eyes, but she blinked them back, for as long as she could manage. "I-I don't want to.."

Tech stared at her blankly. Anytime before a mission was over, regardless of the outcome, the Jedi returned back to Coruscant, eventually. That was their home—the Jedi Temple. From there, himself and his brothers would either set course for a brand new mission, or return to their home. Kamino. "May I ask, why?" Tech finally asked. He cringed slightly at his question the second he asked it.

"I am done with the Jedi Order." Alora stated, with no sign of hesitation in her voice. Suddenly, more silence, if that was even possible, fell over the Maurauder. All eyes turned to her. She looked around for a moment, her tears now falling down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away this time. She was tired of hiding, tired of not being allowed to feel. The young girl saw no reason to do so anymore, it was pointless to her, in her current mindset.

Hunter came into the cockpit now. "Can you- Can you do that?" He looked at Tech, who was just as shocked as he was.

Alora sniffed, looking down at her lap. "I don't think you would understand." She didn't figure men who were programmed to serve the Jedi, would understand why she wished to no-longer affiliate herself with them.

"We understand a lot more than you would think, Alora." Echo said quietly. He was in the cockpit as well, but was sitting in the corner, almost invisible at the time.

She looked back at him, and she frowned. "Echo.. The Jedi didn't even send more help in finding and saving you. They wouldn't trust your brother's instincts. Captain Rex..he knew you were alive."

At her words, Echo seemed hurt. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked away. Despite the truth being painful, she was correct. But all this time, Echo felt as though he had to overlook the truth. I am a clone. I can't do anything about it.

"A-And now.." Alora slowly stood up, walking over to the window that overlooked the galaxy ahead. Her heart was aching. "They would not send help for us." She closed her eyes, more tears streaming down her already stained cheeks. "M-My master..They let her die!" And at that, she broke down, crying for her fallen master once again.

Tech found himself standing up next to her. He hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder. He wasn't very good at this sort of thing, but he wanted to try. After-all, she was the only Jedi who cared about him and his brother's lives, it seemed like..

She looked up quickly, her expression was very painful for the men to see. A once strong young girl, now being so broken, it was disheartening. "I don't plan to stop fighting for the galaxy! I-I still will advocate for freedom, and do whatever I can t-to see it through!" She felt the need to explain her actions to the men. They couldn't understand why, but they listened to her anyway. "I-I just no longer will affiliate myself with the Jedi Order.." She cried once more, hanging her head, "I just can't."

"You can stick with us, then, kid." Hunter said, standing on the other side of her now. "We're all a bunch of outsiders.." He looked at his brothers, then back at her. The long-haired clone placed his hand on her shoulder gently, looking at her with care in his eyes. "I guess you are one now, too."

Tech turned to sit back in his chair. "Setting course back to Kamino, then."

Alora wiped her eyes, watching as a clone who had stayed out of the last few moments, approached her. It was Crosshair. He seemed unhappy. Which wasn't uncommon, but this time, he seemed more sad, rather than angry, or annoyed. He stopped in front of her, seeing the tears that still threatened to pour from her eyes, he couldn't understand why he felt so horribly for the girl, he barely knew her.

He held something out in his hand. "I picked this up. I thought you'd like to have it, commander."

It was Lo'ree Obrinth's lightsaber.

With Alora's latest status with the Jedi, it was unclear to the men if she planned on keeping her own or her master's lightsaber.

She took the elegant weapon carefully from Crosshair, her bottom lip quivering slightly. She brought it close to her face, pressing the cool metal to her forehead. "I will wield this in her honor. For the galaxy. Not the Jedi Order."