"Ouch!" Lena yelled as she grabbed at her slightly burnt arm. "I thought you said they were on low power mode!"
Rhodes shrugged and grinned. "They are. Kyber crystals are powerful enough that even on the lowest setting the lightsaber blade can still burn you. Now, ready position."
Lena groaned as she raised her purple saber in front of her. Rhodes did the same, waiting for Lena to make the first move. The two lightsabers emitted a glow much fainter than normal due to the low energy setting.
Lena clenched her teeth as she swung at her master. Rhodes ducked as Lena's lightsaber bounced off the hull of the Kestel. Before Lena could gather herself, the blade of Rhodes was pointed at her throat. "And you're dead," Rhodes chuckled.
Lena rolled her eyes as she deactivated her saber. "Why do we have to spar in the Kestrel. The cargo hold is too small for this. If we had more room, you would be the dead one."
Rhodes shook his head as he returned his lightsaber to the front of his belt. "Close quarters fighting is an important skill to master. The slightest wrong move can leave you open to attack... just like what happened a few seconds ago."
Lena crossed her arms and glared at Rhodes who still sported a smile. Content with the lesson that he had taught his apprentice, Rhodes turned and headed toward the cockpit.
As he took his first step he grabbed for his lightsaber, igniting it behind his head. Purple and green blades collided as Lena tried to take advantage of Rhodes' turned back. Hunter, who saw her intentions, began chirping in excitement.
"What is he going on about?" Lena hissed. Rhodes once more returned his weapon to his belt.
He continued to the cockpit to sit down before calling back saying, "To simplify it, he is laughing at you. Now take a seat, we should be nearing Alderaan."
Lena gave a light kick to Hunter who continued to snicker. She sat down in the co-pilot's chair without another word, still wearing a scowl on her face. A few minutes of silence passed before the navicomputer indicated that they had arrived. Rhodes powered down the hyperdrive and the planet of Alderaan appeared in the viewport. Rhodes made arrangements with the Aldera spaceport before setting the Kestrel down in one of the hangars.
Lena tried to disembark first but was stopped by Rhodes. "Forgetting something?"
Lena looked around, confused by his question. "What? I already switched my lightsaber back to full power."
Rhodes shook his head and signed. "Lena, that weapon that you are wearing on your hip will attract a lot of attention. The Empire hunts and kills Jedi. If they knew that you existed and that I was still alive, they would be after us. It would be best if you hid your lightsaber a little bit better."
Lena nodded and slipped the lightsaber into the pocket on the side of her leg that once contained her knife. "Is that better?"
Rhodes gave her a thumbs up before opening the door to the Kestrel.
Lena was first to exit followed by Rhodes and Hunter. The trio left the spaceport and stepped onto the pristine streets of Aldera, the capital city of Alderaan.
Lena looked around in awe at the cleanliness of the city. "Wow, this place is so nice," Lena commented, marveling at the towering silver buildings.
Rhodes paused in the street, taking the time to admire his surroundings. "It sure is. Way different than Nar Shaddaa, that's for sure."
He was right, this place was so much nicer than the city covered moon where she was born. Not only were the buildings nicer, but the air was cleaner, and the planet lacked the stench she had grown accustomed to on Nar Shaddaa.
The group continued on, stopping once more to ask for directions. They eventually came up to a building that looked much nicer than any cantina that Lena had ever seen. Rhodes took a deep breath before stepping in front of the door. The motion sensor activated, opening the door to the bar. Rhodes strolled in with his two associates in tow.
"We don't serve their kind!" a voice yelled from behind the bar.
A scowl grew on Lena's face as she reached for the pocket holding her lightsaber. Rhodes was quick to stop her slapping her hand away from the pocket. "He doesn't mean you. Quit jumping to conclusions. It's Hunter he's talking about." Rhodes crouched down and put a hand on Hunter's head. "Sorry buddy, you are going to have to wait outside."
Hunter's mechanical arms popped out of the dome of his head, smacking Rhodes' hand off his head. The droid grumbled as he rolled out of the bar.
"That rotten little droid," Rhodes yelled while still holding onto his hand. After shooting the amused Lena a glare, Rhodes moved to the center of the room.
Before he could complete his scan of the room, he noticed Lena taking a seat at the bar. Rhodes sighed and walked up behind her. "What do you think you are doing, young lady?"
Lena groaned as she turned her chair around. "I was getting a drink. Do 'you people' not drink?"
Rhodes rolled his eyes and said, "No, that's not it. We just happen to have a job to do, and drinking isn't on that list. The number of times I've..."
Rhodes' words trailed off as he abruptly turned around, looking toward the back of the room. He let out a brief gasp as he turned back toward the bar, taking a seat next to Lena.
"What's going on?" Lena asked, trying to discreetly look toward the back of the room.
Rhodes ignored her and motioned for the bartender to come over. The large Besalisk lumbered over to their side of the bar placing his four large arms on the table. "What'll it be?"
Rhodes leaned in close saying, "Do you have a private room I can use for a business transaction?" As Rhodes was saying this, he slid a small pile of credits across the bar.
The Besalisk grinned as he handed Rhodes a key. "Back of the room there is a door. You can use my office."
Rhodes bowed to the bartender who walked away to help another customer. Rhodes turned to Lena, not allowing her to ask another question. "Lena, don't look now but there is a man with bushy sideburns in the back of the room. I need you to convince him to join me in the back room. I don't care how you do it, just get him there."
Lena tried to look over Rhodes' shoulder, but her head was shoved back down by Rhodes. "Alright, alright I'll do it," Lena hissed while trying to fix her hair.
Rhodes nodded to her and made for the back room. As he left the bar, he turned up the collar on his trench coat shielding his face. Lena watched as he disappeared into the bartender's office, shutting the door behind him.
Lena sat at the bar a few more seconds, trying to formulate a plan. As much as she wanted to threaten the man, a more subtle approach would probably be a better idea. Lena took a deep breath and started to make her way toward the table in the back.
The man she was supposed to talk to was sitting at a table with a pair of Rodians. Instead of interrupting, Lena chose to try to listen in. The two Rodians were having a discussion in their own language while the man with the sideburns watched on.
They eventually nodded to each other before one of them said in basic, "Listen here you strand-cast. No one opposes Gran-we, not even for all the money on Scipio. Good luck finding anyone to take this job." The two Rodians got up laughing, leaving the other man alone at the table.
Lena saw this as her opportunity, plopping down in one of the seats. She stared at the man who looked at her with a confused expression. "What do you want, girl?"
Lena let out a laugh and leaned back in her chair. "Oh, it's not what I want but what you want. Sounds like you have quite the job to offer, and I have the team to get it done."
The man rolled his eyes in response. "You? Get lost kid. This is a grown up job."
Lena's face began to turn red as she leaned forward. "I wouldn't talk to me like that if I was you. My boss is powerful and influential. If it were up to me, I'd gut you like a gooberfish. It would be in your best interest to hear him out." Lena watched as the man considered it.
He finally rose to his feet saying, "Fine, but not because I am scared of you. If your boss is as powerful as you say, we might be able to work something out."
Lena grinned and pointed at the door to the bartender's office. Lena ushered the man into the small room where Rhodes was waiting.
The office was surprisingly clean, considering the appearance of the bartender. Along the back wall was a filing cabinet and a bookshelf. To the right was a large desk covered in neat stacks of paper. Rhodes was sitting behind the desk with a glare on his face. "Close the door, Lena and remain there."
Lena was confused as to Rhodes' intentions but did as she was told. She had never seen Rhodes like this. When they met, he was rather serious, but never did she see him so grim.
The room was silent as Rhodes continued to glare at the clearly uncomfortable man. Rhodes finally broke the silence asking, "Do you recognize me?"
The man glanced around the room trying to avoid the forbidding gaze of Rhodes. "Uh, I can't say I do."
Rhodes began to laugh, standing up from his chair. "Well do you remember me now... 7287." As Rhodes was saying this, he reached under his trench coat and produced his lightsaber, setting it on the desk. Lena gasped as she watched him reveal his weapon.
"It can't be!" the other man yelled. "You died on Coruscant. I watched you fall."
Rhodes picked up his lightsaber and ignited it. The desk began to shake, eventually lifting off the ground. With a wave of his offhand, the desk went flying into the back wall slamming against the bookshelf. Papers went flying all over the room as Rhodes fumed. Before the man could go for his blaster, Rhodes wrested it away with the Force, flinging it against the wall.
"Presumed dead, yes. Actually dead, not in the slightest. I have waited a long time for this moment, Captain Timber. You will now feel the fear and pain that I felt on that day."
Timber slowly backed up before he bumped into the wall. "It wasn't my fault!" he yelled. "None of us clones could help it!"
Rhodes grew closer, holding his lightsaber in front of his face. "Excuses!" he roared. "Everybody has a choice and you made yours."
Rhodes raised his saber over his head as the clone closed his eyes. Timber held his breath, expecting this to be it until he heard a familiar sound. His eyes opened to see the clashing of lightsabers. The girl that brought him here had jumped in front of him and was blocking Rhodes' attack with her own lightsaber.
"Step aside Lena. He deserves this!" Rhodes yelled, resisting the urge to fight Lena as well.
Lena stood her ground using all her effort to hold Rhodes at bay. "No! I will not let you kill this man without hearing him out. This isn't like you, Rhodes."
Rhodes' expression softened as he deactivated his lightsaber. "While you may be right, you don't understand the crimes this man has committed."
Lena deactivated her saber and returned It to its hidden pocket. "Enlighten me then."
Timber tried to speak up but was quickly cut off by Rhodes who had returned to the chair behind the now toppled desk. "This man's birth name is CT-7287. He is a clone trooper that served alongside me during the war. He eventually took the name Timber when we promoted him to captain of the 81st battalion. During the battle of Coruscant, our cruiser went down, and we were relegated to supervising the clean-up of the planet. A few days later, Timber stepped aside to take a holotransmission from the office of the Supreme Chancellor. He returned with a squadron of our soldiers. Without warning, they opened fire. Master Dew and I were able to react in time, being able to hold our ground for a few seconds. We were forced to retreat, running for our lives through the streets of Coruscant. We were eventually corned, forced to make a stand."
Rhodes paused for a second, noticing a tear running down the face of Timber. Rhodes chose not to acknowledge it, instead continuing his story. "We battled the clones that we once fought side by side with. The friends that I trusted with my life! They soon overwhelmed us, and my master shouted at me to run. I reluctantly did as I was told and ran to the back of the alley. I was able to bound up the walls before reaching the top of the building. I looked back down to watch Master Dew sacrificing himself to give me a chance to escape. He was eventually hit in the arm by one of the blaster bolts. He looked back at me with a smile and nod as Captain Timber delivered a shot to his chest, killing him instantly."
By now, there were tears streaming down Timber's face. He dropped to a knee softly repeating, "Sorry."
Rhodes couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Maybe it was out of his control. Despite Timber's reaction, Rhodes chose to finish the story. "I didn't have time to mourn the loss of my master before they turned their weapons on me. I ran for my life, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. I was planning to hide in the lower levels until I could escape off-world. I guess the clones predicted my move and met me at the ventilation shaft that provided access to Coruscant's underworld. I was forced to fight, defecting their shots while trying not to fall down the shaft. I eventually missed a blaster bolt that slammed into my shoulder. I lost my balance and fell, landing on a pile of trash outside a diner. The man who ran the diner turned a blind eye and didn't report me. To the galaxy, I was dead. They searched for my body for weeks, eventually presuming that my body had been dragged away by some creature dwelling in the lower levels. I was able to avoid the search parties and eventually made it off-world."
Lena wore a somber look on her face as she watched to see how Timber would respond.
The clone slowly rose to his feet and wiped a tear from his eye, looking at Lena. "I wish I could say that Commander Rhodes was exaggerating but every word of what he just told you is true. While no excuse or explanation will bring back General Dew, I would like to explain my side of things."
Rhodes simply nodded, allowing the man to continue. "Like Rhodes was saying, we were supervising the cleanup of Coruscant when I got the transmission. I found it odd but took the call anyway. All the Chancellor said was, 'execute order 66'. Right as he said those words, I had the uncontrollable urge to kill both General Dew and Commander Rhodes. The rest of what happened was a blur, but I do remember what I did. After the fact, I felt horrible. Both Rhodes and Dew saved my life countless times. I was eventually contacted by a friend of mine within the 501st battalion. He told me that the Kaminoans implanted inhibitor chips in our heads, forcing obedience to that order. My friend helped me remove the chip, freeing me of its effects."
As he was saying this, Timber was pointing to a scar on the side of his head about a centimeter long. "After the clone army was decommissioned, I tried to redeem myself. I have been traveling the galaxy, trying to help those who can't help themselves... just like a Jedi."
Rhodes, who was still clenching his lightsaber, returned it to its place under his trench coat. "I can sense your remorse, Timber. You really didn't have a choice. I am sorry for lashing out."
Timber nodded to both Rhodes and then to Lena. "I too am sorry for what I have done. I also thank young Lena here for allowing me a chance to prove myself." Lena grinned as she patted the clone on his shoulder.
Rhodes walked over and shook Timber's hand before saying, "Young Lena is actually the reason we have come here. I didn't know it at the time, but you are someone that can help her with her training. In case you haven't realized, I have taken her as an apprentice."
Timber smiled and looked at Lena. "She may just turn out to be a fine soldier. I would be happy to help in any way I can. I actually have a job that would be a good learning opportunity for her. Your skill set would be invaluable, Commander Rhodes."
Rhodes put a hand on his chin before saying, "No need to call me commander. Those days are in the past. As for the job, we will help you. What are we up against?"