#pendewqell

Maz rubs her forehead tiredly. She shakes her head with a hand going up with the raise of her shoulders. “I don’t unfortunately. He stopped returning my message’s some years back.”

Then, under her breath, Kix hears her whisper, I’m just glad he’s alive.

“So, this was a waste…” Pendewqell mutters into his drink. Reveth shoves her empty plate away so she can perch her chin on her cybernetic arm. Some specs of green paint are still stuck to the chrome metal. Maz stares at Reveth with a quizzical eye.

“The paint on your arm,” Maz leans on the table and nods at Reveth, “Where did you get it?”

Kix thinks he sees Reveth turn a deeper shade of red. She didn’t exactly like talking about her defeats.

“That kid came in and thought the Shrike needed a new paint job,” She says with a tight jaw and then adds under her breath, “and us for that matter…”

Maz lets out a short hm. She pushes her chair away from the table, “Show me.”

They lead Maz out to the Shrike. Staring at it now, Kix and can see the black residue from the blast that made the ship lurch when the lights went out the second time. He couldn’t tell how bad it actually was but figured it couldn’t be too bad considering it got them to Takodana in one piece. When they make their way into the ship, Kix can still smell the chemicals of paint. Maz lifts a hand to her small chin and looks around. Reeg walks over to the control panel.

“We have to shut the lights off if you want to see it.” He says. She gives him a nod and the ship goes dark. Just like before the neon paint sprayed throughout the ship lights up. Maz lets out another hm and walks through the corridors admiring the artwork. He hears Quiggold huff.

“This is going to take forever to clean.” Quiggold mutters from the back.

“Well, his technique is improving.” Maz says at last.

“Oh good, at least his technique is improving.” Reeg grumbles earning a snort from Squeaky. The lights come on stinging their eyes from the sudden brightness. Sidon meets Maz’s gaze. She slips her glasses off to give them a shine from her shirt.

“There is someone who might know something about his whereabouts, but I can’t be certain,” She slips her glasses back on and holds a finger up at them, “but I do not give this information out freely.”

“What’s your price?” Sidon speaks making the crew fall silent. Maz stares at him.

“When you find him, you bring him to me. As unharmed as possible.”

Maz and Sidon stare at each other a moment longer before Sidon nods. “Very well.”

“Good,” she places her hands on her hips. “There is a pilot that is currently working out of Lothal. He might be able to point you in his direction. I will send you his information.”

“Thank you,” Quiggold says as they start to lead Maz off the ship. when she’s walking down the ramp Quiggold calls out to her, “this kid we’re after, he got a name?”

Maz pauses after stepping onto Takodana soil. She glances up at them. “He goes by Fives.”

The ship flies through hyperspace turning their view into thousands of streaks of passing stars. Kix inspects his blaster mostly so he’s not just staring at the ship walls. His mind reels. Rex is a father. His stole a Seppie memory core. His name is Fives. Kix falls back in his chair with a sigh. He rests the back of his head on the headrest so he’s staring up at the ship ceiling. It doesn’t seem quite real to Kix. Not that much did nowadays. It’s not like clones couldn’t have kids but he’s never known anyone to actually do it. Of course, they never had many chances to form real relationships with anyone outside of the army. He thinks back to a time when Jesse was convinced that he was love with a yellow twi’lek. She had broken it off after the first date. He had gotten over her by convincing Hardcase to throw eggs off of the barracks building with him. He can still hear Wolffe yelling when they accidently pelted the Commander in the back of the head. Before, that memory would have made Kix smile. Now it just sends aches through his chest.

“We’ll be dropping out of hyperspace in 3… 2…” Quiggold counts off until the bright streaks fade, and the image of a planet appears before them. Kix leans forward taking the planet in. Kix had never been to Lothal before. He felt like he should feel excitement or maybe even nerves of going somewhere new. But he felt nothing.

“Maz says our contact can be found on the outskirts of Lothal City.” Squeaky announces without looking up from his datapad.

“Lothal City on the planet Lothal? Very original.” Reeg mutters from his seat. Sidon stays standing with his arms crossed not saying a word. They lower the ship into the planet’s atmosphere and manage to lock on to some coordinates. They lower the Shrike down a short way from the base of a communication tower where Maz said the pilot would be. Everyone geared up like they were planning on going in blasters blazing. Kix couldn’t blame them. Fives made quick work to them; they weren’t about to let it happen again. The Corsair crew, named after one of Sidon’s many nicknames, had a reputation to uphold. Maz had said to bring Fives back as unharmed as possible. Kix guessed the kid would be lucky if he was still breathing by the time they delivered him to Maz.

Kix slips his helmet on before stepping off the Shrike’s ramp. Part of him wanted to take in the sunlight and enjoy the gentle breeze over the rolling landscape, but he needed to be as prepared as the others. He hasn’t gotten used to wearing his helmet with a full beard yet. Having hair on his head was annoying enough but the itchiness that stretches along his jaw was beyond irritating. He gives a few uncomfortable twitches and follows the others. While approaching the communication tower it was clear that the structure next to it was as new addition. The walls were a little to bright compared to the faded paint on the tower. When they reach the building, they can hear people mulling around inside. Reveth creeps up to the corner next to the garage opening and begins to signal for the others. Before any stealth maneuvers can be done, Sidon walks straight past her. She lowers her hand and gets to her feet with a frown. They may have prepared for a fight, but Sidon must not be expecting it. Or maybe he knows something they don’t?

They find themselves walking straight into the garage. Inside is a light freighter with clear wear and tear from years of possible battle. Kix keeps a tight grip on his blaster and follows their captain further inside before movement from the lowered freighter ramp gives them pause. A large… something walks down the ramp and readies her blaster. She’s covered in purple fur and Kix can’t place the species. He first thought Wookie but that doesn’t seem right.

“You’re trespassing on private land.” She calls out. Sidon doesn’t move but the rest of the crew tenses up. Sidon holds his hand silently towards Quiggold, and Quiggold carefully reaches into his pocket and retrieves the puck with the image of Fives. He hands it to their captain.

“I’m looking for your captain. Maz Kanata told us he could help us track this man down.” Sidon tosses the puck towards the woman. She catches it in her large hands but doesn’t take her eyes off them until the image of Fives lights up. Her eyes widen and then narrow. She curses under her breath and lowers her blaster making the crew lighten up. She gives a slight nod and disappears into the ship. They wait until they see two figures emerge from the ramp. A man stands with the puck in his hand. His eyes are locked on Sidon who still doesn’t move. The man has green hair that is pulled back into a low ponytail and Kix thinks he can see some green on the tips of his ears.

“The Crimson Corsair, I’ve heard much about you.” The man says from the ramp. Sidon nods his head slightly. The man glances down at the puck before meeting the captains gaze and tossing his chin towards the ship, signaling them to follow. They keep their guard up but enter the light freighter all the same. Inside, they’re led to a sitting area where a man sits playing Dejarik with a blue nautolan. When the man with green hair walks by, he shuts it off. The man sitting frowns and then stands surprised by the Corsair crew entering the small room. The nautolan stares at them from her seat with an unreadable expression.

“On behalf of myself and my crew, welcome to the Ghost,” The man with green hair stands on the other side of the room. The purple something stands next to him still wearing a deep frown. Now that the man who was playing Dejarik is standing, Kix can make out the Mandalorian armor. Kix gets a sour taste in his mouth. “I’m Jacen Syndulla, captain of this ship.”

“Syndulla, eh? Any relation to the pilot that helped start the rebellion?” Quiggold muses next to Sidon.

“She’s my mother, actually.” Jacen nods slightly. Quiggold doesn’t say anything else, just mumbles a few incoherent words of slight amazement. The Mandalorian stands next to Jacen with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Kix doesn’t take his eyes off him and feels his hands tighten on his blaster. Jacen cuts the tension with a sigh and lights up the puck revealing the image of Fives. “So, you’re looking for Fives? Why?”

“He has something of ours.” Quiggold answers. The Mandalorian rolls his eyes, and the purple woman shakes her head with a sigh. Jacen tosses the puck to Sidon who catches it seamlessly.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know where he’s at. He used to fly with us but… we had a few disagreements that led to him leaving.” Jacen shrugs his shoulders with eyes darting to the left. The Mandalorian snorts.

“That’s an understatement.” The Mandalorian shifts his weight with an eyeroll. Jacen eyes him slightly but keeps going.

“If Maz sent you then I feel inclined to help. She doesn’t give information about the family to just anyone.” Jacen studies the crew intently. Kix tilts his head. It’s because of him. Because Kix is a clone and a friend of Rex. Kix lets out a short sigh and steps forward. The Mandalorian sizes him up, ready to attack the second Kix steps out of line. Kix slings his blaster over his shoulder and reaches up to pull his helmet off. There’s a slight hiss from the seal of the helmet and then the soft gasp of the Ghost crew. Kix steadies his helmet in his hands staring at it to compose himself before lifting his eyes to the others. The faces of the woman, Jacen, and Mandalorian soften into shocked and almost sad expressions.

“Karabast…” the woman breathes with her shoulders relaxing. The Mandalorian, now lowering his guard, seems much less menacing from before. The nautolan still stares with an unreadable expression. Jacen blinks a few times with his jaw slightly dropped.

“Are you a… son of a clone?” he asks carefully. Kix swallows and steadies himself before speaking.

“No,” his voice sounds odd, as if it wasn’t him speaking at all. Everyone is staring at him, waiting for his response. He finds himself telling Jacen and his crew everything. How he tried to warn General Skywalker about the chips, getting captured by the Seppies, waking up 50 years later to this. When he’s done, he feels lightheaded. He hasn’t spoken this much since they first pulled him from his stasis pod. Jacen runs a hand through his green hair, digesting everything Kix has said.

“You really fought beside Rex in the Clone Wars?” the purple woman asks. Kix nods.

“Yeah, he was my captain. There was no one I trusted more.” Kix feels his chest tighten. The Mandalorian stares at the ship floor with his lips pressed into a tight line. Jacen places his hands on his hips.

“Alright then,” Jacen says finally, “we’ll help you find Fives.”

“Are you sure?” The Mandalorian snaps his head towards Jacen. Jacen pats his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Jacen gives a soft smile. He opens his mouth to say more but is interrupted when something hard rams into Kix’s legs. He stumbles forward, catching himself on the Dejarik table nearly running into the nautolan woman. He looks back to see a small orange droid fussing at him with its droid arms flailing in the air.

“Cut it out Chopper!” Jacen barks. The droid grumbles and speeds towards Jacen, nearly hitting him, and disappears through the ship doors. Jacen shakes his head. “Sorry about that, he’s a bit…” when he can’t find the right word he just goes “Eh?”

Kix rubs his bruised legs completely taken off by the droid’s sudden attack. Pendewqell gives a sudden snort, “That’s great and all, but how can you help us if you don’t know where he is?”

“I may not know where he is, but I do know a place he frequented when he was still a part of my crew.” Jacen crosses his arms with a smile. The Corsair crew looks to Sidon for his opinion.

“Kix, Reveth, and Pendewqell will accompany you. The rest will stay behind to repair the Shrike.” Sidon puts one hand on his hip. Jacen nods agreeing but the Corsair crew tenses. At least Reeg and Squeaky do. Kix couldn’t blame them. Repair the ship really meant cleaning all the paint off the walls. Sidon leads most of the crew back to the Shrike, leaving Kix, Reveth, and Pendewqell. With it just them now, Jacen walks over and claps the back of Kix’s shoulder. Kix tenses under the sudden touch.

“Glad to have you on board!” Jacen gives a wide smile. Kix can only manage a nod and follows him to the ships bridge. The droid is plugged into the side of the ship, so Kix makes sure to give it a wide berth. The purple woman takes a seat in the copilot chair and the Mandalorian and nautolan take seats behind them.

“Where are you taking us?” Reveth asks, still keeping her guard up. Pendewqell stands next to her looking just as tense.

“Fives used to frequent a bar called Qal Tic on Coruscant. He and the owner are,” Jacen pauses awkwardly before saying, “close. If anyone knows where Fives is its him.”

“What makes you think he’ll just willingly give us Fives location?” the woman asks while prepping the ship for flight.

“Fives pissed off the Crimson Corsair. If that doesn’t make him reveal where Fives is, then nothing will.” Jacen gives the woman a wink. “Besides, he’s not my only lead.”

She rolls her eyes. Kix finds a seat behind the Mandalorian when the Ghost begins to take off. Pendewqell claims a seat behind the silent nautolan and Reveth is determined to keep standing. When the Ghost starts to leave Lothal’s atmosphere the Mandalorian turns to him.

“So, you really knew Uncle Rex back in his prime?” the Mandalorian arches a brow at him but wears a smile. Kix nods. Uncle?

Kix shifts uneasily in his seat. “So how did you know Rex?”

“He was good friends with my parents back when they were taking the Empire down. He used to babysit me, Jacen, and Azil.” He nods towards Jacen and the purple woman.

Kix nods. “Got a name?”

“Not gonna help?” he pants and then flinches when one of the lizards tries to bite one of his fingers. Kix gives a slight shrug but never moves from his spot. Pendewqell sighs and shakes his head before grabbing the cage again and dragging it out of view. Kix lets out a tired breath and runs a hand through his hair. It was getting long. Nothing that could be tied up like Tup’s hair, but it could stand a few inches high above his head if he didn’t tend to it. Which he rarely did nowadays. He finds himself standing and moving over to the small porthole pointed out at the vast space. He always felt small when traveling in a starship but now he felt nothing. Just a gnawing ache that grew a little more every day.

A knock on the door pulls his attention away. Sidon Ithanos, the captain of the Shrike and the one who saved Kix from his stasis pod the Seppies left him in for 50 years, leans against his doorway. “Reveth is about to decode the Separatist memory core.”

He says nothing else and leaves. The captain is a man of few words and always has a cool demeanor about him even if the rest of the crew is losing their absolute shit. Kix felt his stomach twist into a tighter knot then its usual one. They only keep Kix around because he has a vast knowledge of the Clone Wars and Kix stays because… well, because he has nowhere else to go. The last thing he ever expected was to join up with a group of pirates. That’s something Hardcase would do. A twinge of pain shoots through Kix’s chest. He blinks a few times and clears his mind.

Reveth’s room is more of a garage. Or maybe junkyard is a better term for it? Droid parts dangle from the ceiling along with odd wires and tubes. The only walking space is a path carved through the mass amounts of junk that she claims are “Works in progress!” but Kix wondered how often she ever finished them. Reveth’s red lekku sways as she bobs her head to music while tinkering with the memory core on her workbench. She pushes her rolling chair to an old gonk droid that she’s using as another table to grab something before rolling back to the memory core. Sidon stands next to the work bench looking completely out of place. His clean crimson attire looks almost new compared to the junk surrounding him. Kix on the other hand felt like he belongs with the old, outdated machines. Except no amount of tinkering would ever fix him.

“Alright,” she pushes back from the workbench and rubs her hands together. She glances at Sidon grinning. “Ready for this?”

Kix steps a little closer. She only looked at the captain, but he was the one who needed to be able to see it. The captain nods and Reveth reaches over to press the button that would reveal the complete map of every hidden droid factory ever built. Along with secret bases, weapons warehouses, everything the Republic needed to win the war. He closes his eyes again trying to shove the emerging thoughts away. He opens his eyes to darkness and the unmistakable sound of the power failing. The room is pitch black, but Kix can hear Reveth smashing her fist onto the workbench.

“What happened to the power?” she screams into the darkness. A light appears in the captain’s hand. He silently leads Reveth and Kix out of the death trap of a room and up to the ships bridge. Quiggold huffs around the ship’s controls trying to restore power by the time they get there.

“Captain,” Quiggold’s voice is rough with a mixture of anger and panic. “We’ve lost all power. I’m not sure what happened. It’s like…”

Before Quiggold can finish his sentence, the lights are back on. Kix flinches at the sudden brightness. Quiggold lets his hands drop loosely at his side. “Well, never mind.”

“Find out what happened.” Sidon’s voice gives no hint of distress. Quiggold nods and turns back to the ship’s controls.

“Great, can we get back to the memory core then?” Reveth gestures towards the door leading out of the bridge. Kix and Sidon follow her back to her room silently. Well, except for Reveth muttering under her breath the whole way. When the doors to her room parts she stops abruptly nearly making Kix walk right into her. he catches himself and frowns at Reveth. Her eyes are glued to her workbench. Kix follows her stare to see that the memory core is gone.

“What the absolute…” Reveth begins bursting out into angry cursing. She and Sidon walk further into the room searching for the memory core as if it might have just fallen off her workbench. Kix stays in the doorway. There was something new in the air. Something fresh that lingers above the oil and grease from old machines. It stung Kix’s nose.

“Somethings not right.” Kix mutters to himself. He’s surprised when Sidon lifts his gaze to Kix as if he heard him. Suddenly, out of the corner of Kix’s eyes, he sees movement. Kix feels time slow as he turns his head in its direction. His heartbeat rings in his ears. At the end of the corridor stands a man. Most of his attire is typical for a pirate except for his helmet. Kix’s breath catches in his throat. Rex’s helmet tilts slightly before its wearer gives a low sinister laugh. He lifts his hand revealing a detonator. Before Kix can comprehend what’s happening the man presses the button.

The power goes out again but this time an explosion lurches the ship sideways. Kix crashes into the corridor wall crushing his shoulder. He gasps when he notices the illuminated neon art spray painted over the walls and ceiling of the ship. He couldn’t see it with the lights on, but the darkness brought it to life. The man at the end of the corridor throws a cannister that erupts into neon green smoke. Kix coughs in his elbow but finally manages to get himself to move. He’s running after Re—no it can’t be. Can it? His mind reels. Colorful smoke fills the corridor. He coughs so hard his ribs ache. Sidon speeds past him into the smoke. It makes Kix keep going. He can’t see a thing except the neon art sprayed onto the ship walls.

Hands grab him pushing him forward. A mask is shoved onto his face giving him much needed air. Reveth pats his shoulder and holds up her blaster. Kix nods finally reaching for his own but pauses when he feels it’s rough handle. Rex. He shakes his head. He leaves his blaster in his holster and runs after Reveth. Sounds of blaster fire echoes through the ship. Kix barely has time to duck before Squeaky is thrown through the smoke nearly taking out him and Reveth. They exchange a look but keep going. They eventually shove into the mess hall. The man appears to be an acrobat as he flips onto a table with one hand and lands on the other side before landing a shot into Pendewqell’s shoulder. When Sidon lifts his blaster, the man aims the blaster in his left hand firing on the captain. The captain turns to avoid the shot, but it hits the wall erupting into splatters of paint. The captain struggles to wipe the paint off his mask before realizing it was gluing him to his spot behind a turned over table.

“Fuck!” Reveth yells after charging the man. He holsters his blasters and is able to subdue her with three short moves. she’s forced against a tabletop before he lands a few shots that glue her in place. The man lifts his gaze to Kix. Kix feels frozen. Rex steps away from the table with his right blaster held up over his shoulder. Kix struggles to find words with his mouth growing dry. Rex eventually holsters his blasters realizing Kix is completely frozen in his spot and that he’s subdued everyone else. The man gives another low chuckle. He lifts the memory core in his hands, inspecting it playfully as if wanting them to know that he has it. He gives a General Skywalker two finger salute and leaves.

Finally, Kix feels himself regain control over his body. He runs after the man. His breath is labored and filled with panic.

“Don’t go!” he wants to scream it, but it barely comes out above a whisper. He crashes into the side of the ship when he fails to make a turn. He pants and stares at the man that is climbing into his ship that managed to latch itself to the Shrike without anyone noticing. He pulls out a paint can, giving it a few shakes, and paints a large blue 5 over the control panel.

Kix stays there even after the man disappears inside his ship. Even when he hears it detach itself and go off into hyperspace. Kix drops to his knees panting. He feels like the ship is spinning out of control. Hands push his back against the corridor wall. Reveth is yelling at him, but he can’t hear her. Rex was here. Or was he? Who was that? Kix glances to the control panel while Reveth still unleashes her anger on him. The blue 5 glows in the darkness. When the lights turn back on, it’s gone.

They’re on the bridge now. All of them are covered in some form of neon paint except for Kix. Quiggold paces on the bridge going on about the controls and the mess throughout the ship. Kix wonders if he should tell him that he’s just tracking the neon purple paint that had glued him to his spot before. Reeg rubs his head off to the side with an icepack that Kix had provided when he finally snapped out of his panicked trance. He had been knocked out when the man first boarded their ship. Which apparently was ten minutes before the lights went out the first time. Squeaky stands next to him with arms crossed. He didn’t receive any major wounds except to his pride. Pendewqell fidgets when Kix tightens the bandages over his wound. He’ll be fine but he’s complaining like he would lose the arm.

“Enough,” Sidon’s voice cuts through the arguing. Even though he’s covered in neon pink paint he’s still the most composed one there. “What’s done is done. Now we need to focus on getting the memory core back.”

“What about you?” Reveth glares at Kix. Kix pauses before meeting her eyes. “You froze up. Why didn’t you shoot him?”

Kix feels his hands begin to shake. How can he tell them that the man might have been Rex? How can he tell them that even if it wasn’t… he shakes his head slightly and turns away. Pendewqell gets up and moves closer to Reeg and Squeaky. Sidon glances at Kix.

“And how do we do that?” Pendewqell asks while still fidgeting with his bandages. “We don’t know who that guy is or even what his ship looks like!”

Sidon crosses his arms as he drifts into deep thought. Quiggold moves closer to the controls awaiting the captain’s orders. Finally, Sidon lifts his head. “Make course to Takodana.”

He says nothing else as Quiggold punches in the coordinates and jumps to lightspeed. Kix struggles to keep it together. He didn’t know what to think or what to do with his hands. Reveth scrubs at the paint on her arms before looking his way. Eventually she makes her way over and sits on a crate next to Kix’s seat on the bridge. They say nothing at first. They just sit and listen to ship fly through hyperspace. Finally, she lets out a sigh and says, “You okay?”

Kix wants to answer but his mouth wont part to speak. So instead, he nods. She looks like she wants to say something else but is uncertain of the right words. She eventually pats his shoulder but doesn’t leave his side. They stay like that the rest of the time it takes to reach Takodana. The crew spends a good thirty minutes scrubbing the neon paint off their clothes and skin. Sidon disappears into his room and doesn’t come out until it looks as if it never happened. The others weren’t as lucky. Reveth managed to get all the paint off her face, but remnants still linger on her boots and arms. Quiggold only had it on his feet, so he just pulled on a new pair of boots. The others have specks of neon paint dusted around random parts of their bodies. Kix almost wants to apologize to them. It wasn’t his fault some guy with a paint fetish snuck on board and stole the memory core. But he did freeze up. Kix already questioned if he would still be welcomed to stay after they no longer needed him to decipher old Clone War data. This wasn’t leaning in his favor.

Kix takes in the fresh air of Takodana. The lush green forests are a welcomed sight after being stuck in space for so long. They stayed on Takodana at Maz’s Palace after they first saved Kix. They had thought their captain was dead, but he had returned as if nothing had happened. Kix wondered if the captain let everything roll off his shoulders or if he just forced all emotions down. Everyone had a breaking point. Kix wondered what his was.

Maz’s Palace was as lively as ever. Music pours from every room and each space is filled with all kinds of walks of life. They order some drinks and take a seat at a round table near a big window. Squeaky orders some food for the table but Kix isn’t hungry. Every muscle in his body is tensed. He needs answers.

When Sidon returns to the table Maz is at his side. She’s a short… whatever she was. She’s known as the Pirate Queen for allowing smugglers to reside in her home. As long as they follow her rules of no politics that is. Kix squeezes his hands into tight fists as a wave of anticipation swells in his stomach. She takes a seat next to Sidon and chuckles at the crew.

“I see you lot have run into some bad luck.” She crosses her arms with a grin. Reveth shrugs her shoulders and shoves some food in her mouth. Quiggold slides a puck onto the table that lights up with the image of Re—the man. The power had gone out, but Quiggold still managed to get a good shot of him before everything shut down. Maz frowns at the image.

“Do you know who this is?” Sidon asks softly. Kix wondered if this was considered politics. Maz looks down appearing tired all of the sudden. She rubs her forehead while muttering something under her breath in a language Kix couldn’t recognize until she mutters “… that boy…” and frowning deeper.

“You know my rules.” She says holding up a hand as if to fault the conversation. Kix shifts nervously in his seat. She knows who that is. he finds himself reaching a hand across the table holding it flat against the sticky surface. She meets his pleading eyes.

“Please.” He whispers. There’s something in her eyes Kix can’t quite place. Sadness? Pain? He wasn’t sure. She mutters something else in the language Kix couldn’t understand again before nodding. They all lean in closer over the table.

“I know this boy,” she says at last. Kix lets out a shaky breath and shifts in his seat again. Maz pauses, fighting the reluctance to say more. “I knew his father and mother a long time ago. I thought he was just moving spice. Something I never approved of,” she gives a snort before continuing, “but now it appears he’s… he’s moved on to this.”

Father, mother, then it’s not Rex. Kix leans further over the table. “He wears the helmet of a clone. Why?”

Maz meets his eyes with her own still filled with something Kix couldn’t place.

“Got it!” Chop shoots up, nearly hitting Calli who was leaning over him to get a better look at the board. Fifi finally tears his eyes away from the cylinder and looks towards Chop. Chop moves so his work can be seen more clearly. Qell arched a brow. To him, it looked like a jumbled up mess of a mad man. But Fives could see it. Fives slides out of his chair and approaches the blackboard. He places a hand on Chop’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

“It’s perfect.” He says behind the mask. Qell leaned against the workbench and crosses his arms. Calli moves over to stand next to him as Fives and Chop go deeper into their own little nerd world. Gigi and Suzu stand at their feet as if they understood what was happening, but really, they were just waiting for the okay to start dismantling things again.

“I think by the time the Princess finds us; it’ll already be too late.”

Calli nudges Qell’s side, “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about Dee.”

“You think?” Qell chuckles when Chop and Fives start arguing over some part of the problem.

Kix

Part of him probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Rex had more than one kid. Most people had at least two. The thing that set Kix’s mind reeling was the fact that no one had bothered to tell him. Though, when he really thought about it, they probably don’t really trust him yet and… that’s fair. Dogma sets her glass down and crosses her arms, never breaking eye contact with Jacen.

“We’re trying to get him out of trouble.” Jacen’s eyes try to tell more than his words, but Dogma’s face never changes. Reveth steps forward, her hands clenched into fists.

“He fucked with the Crimson Corsair and we’re getting tired of all this running around trying to find him. We made a deal with Maz that we would bring him in alive. You can help us now and save everyone some heartache or… step aside and I tell my captain you left us no choice.” Reveth has reached the end of her rope. Kix couldn’t blame her. She’s been remarkably tame during this whole ordeal. Now, even Kix was growing tired of it all. They needed real answers. Dogma’s eyes cast down to the floor and back up to meet Reveth’s.

“I’ve got to clear some things up with my manager and then I’ll meet you at the Ghost.” She says when she’s situated. Jacen gives her the Ghosts coordinates and leads them to the lift and out of the building.

“Fine,” she says finally. Her words are short and laced with venom. “Because Maz still has hope for him.”

She pushes herself away from the table and strides to the closet disappearing inside leaving the room heavy with tension. Jacen glances at Reveth but she doesn’t show any signs of bluffing. Pendewqell stands next to her, forming a united front in this decision forcing Kix to reluctantly fall in behind them. These were the people that saved him. He owed them this. The room is unbearably silent while they wait for Dogma to reemerge from her closet. When she does, Kix is a little shocked. Not because she is dressed in a bright frilly dress that Kix was expecting, but because she wears sensible clothes with neutral colors. She pulls her hair back up into a tight ponytail and pulls on her single bag that drapes over her shoulders.

Outside, its eerily dark and quiet compared to the bright chaotic lights and music that had surrounded them when they first arrived. The theater is almost completely empty now with only a few workers dotting the stadium cleaning up trash. When they are back on the ordinary streets, Kix feels himself give a sigh of relief. He hadn’t noticed before, but he had been tensed from the second they stepped into that building. They barely talk while maneuvering through the late night crowds of Coruscant. Most people at this hour were drunk and trying to find their way home while others were trying to keep the party going. At some point, things were looking more and more familiar. Kix stops, causing Pendewqell to walk into his back.

“What’s wrong?” Reveth turns back when she realizes he’s not directly behind her.

“I… I just…” he starts to explain but the words disappear and he’s walking down a different street. The light fixture that has the large dent… the statue of some wealthy patron that was rammed by a speeder all those years ago… the shops that may have changed their names and what they sell, but the store fronts are almost the same. He knew where he was. His feet move faster down the sidewalk.

“What’s he doing?” Azil’s voice comes from behind him, but he doesn’t stop moving. His feet carry him all the way to the end of the street where the platform drops off into a gorgeous view of the city. He feels his heart pounding in his chest. He could hardly believe it. It’s still called 79’s.

“Kix, we don’t have time for detours.” This is from Reveth. Her voice is low and softer than what most would think possible for her. But Kix just waves her away. Something compelled him to enter the bar. The bar he and Jesse would go to after every mission. The bar they used to go to with Hardcase. He forces the knot in his throat down and steps inside.

Kix stops dead in his tracks. Not because the bar was almost completely the same, minus the different furniture and modern music, but because of the sea of white armor scattered throughout the bar. He rubs his face trying to fix his vision, but when he looks, they’re still there. With tears blurring his eyes he opens his mouth to call out to them… until one speaks.

“Just gonna stand there or come on in?” a voice drunkenly laughs to his side. His delusion shatters. The faces his mind so desperately wanted to see shift into strangers. These aren’t clones. They’re stormtroopers.

Kix knew he should leave. Do the smart thing and walk away. The others didn’t even dare to come in. They probably saw the stormtroopers and fell back unable to convince Kix not to go in. He should turn back. But he couldn’t. He hesitantly moves along the back wall, steering as clear of the stormtroopers as possible, and heads for the refresher. He doesn’t know why he feels the need to return here. To the last place he saw him. The last time he felt like an ordinary soldier fighting for the right cause.

The refresher is unchanged. There’s more graffiti but it doesn’t appear the owner ever bothered to paint over the drawings they made back in the Clone Wars. He walks over to the sink closest to the back wall where he can still make out a large 501stwritten in red paint underneath layers of others scribbles. Kix catches his breath when he makes out the 5’s sister written on the wall. The animal they had drawn has been covered up by layers of writing. Kix leans against the sink feeling sick. He can feel the tears stinging his eyes but no matter how much he wanted them to come, they never did. Despite the pain and aching in his chest, the loneliness that ways him down every night when he’s alone in his room, or the wounds from the past that never seemed to heal, the thing that consumed him whole was the numbness of being left behind. All of this was history. He could stand here all night and Fives, his Fives, would never walk back through those doors. He could go back out, but Jesse wouldn’t be waiting there ready to order another round. There wasn’t a barracks to return to that is filled with brothers who felt exactly the way he felt because they were all going through the same shit. He slams his fists down on the counter and lets out a primal scream. When he finally manages to lift his eyes, he jumps back at the stranger standing right in front of him. Except, he had been leaning over the sink, and it wasn’t a stranger but his reflection.

His chest heaves with every breath. He didn’t even recognize himself. Rage spreads through his veins. He slams a fist in the mirror, watching the glass crack across his reflection and shatter around him. He falls to the floor breathless. Lifting a hand to his head he squeezes his temple trying to contain what little sanity he had left. Everything felt like it was pouring out. The anger, the pain, the overwhelming sadness. He had been doing so good to hide it. He stares at the glass scattered around him with fragments of himself staring back. Not anymore.

“Ohshit,” a voice slurs from the door to the refresher. Kix drops his head refusing to meet the stormtroopers eyes. The man stumbles further inside. “You have a lit’le too much to drink?”

The man lets out a loud laugh like this was the most hysterical thing he’s ever seen. Kix feels that rage bubbling up again. He doesn’t move, just keeps his head down.

“Hey, you know who I am? I can do whatever the fuck I want,” the man is crouching down so he can shout in Kix’s ears. Kix fixates on a spot on the floor, feeling heat spreading across his face. His fingers fumble with something on the floor next to him. “I’m a soldier! You should be respecting me! You have any idea what I gotta go through? What have you ever done to…”

“Hey, you gonna answer me?” the man is closer now. “Helloo?”

“Stay away from me.” Kix’s voice is barely audible. He swallows the knot in his throat.

Kix is staring into the man’s eyes. He doesn’t remember moving. He doesn’t fully understand what happened. The man’s eyes are wide, he’s making a choking noise. Something warm is dripping down Kix’s hand. Finally, Kix breaks eye contact and sees a glass shard plunged into the man’s neck. Kix’s hand grasps so tightly to the shard that it cuts through his palm. Kix gasps and releases the shard and pushes away from the man. The man chokes while fumbling with the piece of broken mirror stuck into his neck.

“It was… accident… it was…” Kix can’t breathe. He shakily gets to his feet while watching the man. The man pulls the shard out causing blood to pour down the left side of his body. The man reaches a hand towards Kix, but he’s pushed himself against the refresher stalls trying to get away from him. when the man falls to the floor, unmoving, silent, Kix turns and vomits.

He shoves through two stormtroopers who are walking towards the refresher. They frown at Kix but don’t seem to notice the blood staining his hands and jeans. Kix blinks struggling to remember where the exit is. When he finds it, he falls to his knees on the concrete outside with sweat pouring down his face. He’s gasping, desperate to get air in his lungs. There’s shouting coming from inside the bar. When the doors to the bar open, he can hear the feet approaching. He squeezes his eyes shut. Get-a-grip-get-a-grip! His body doesn’t listen. He’s frozen. He glances back at five stormtroopers shouting down at him. He can’t make out what their saying over the blood rushing in his ears. They raise their blasters at him. Kix closes his eyes and waits.

When a blaster fires and Kix is still alive, he opens his eyes. Reveth is standing over him with her blasters aimed at the stormtroopers.

“MoveKix!” she yells, still firing on approaching stormtroopers. This breaks Kix out of his trance. He’s running for the alleys. He’s alive. For whatever reason for him to still be here, he’s alive.

“He says to stay with the Ghost for now. He says he’s got his own lead to follow, but if it doesn’t pan out then they’re still our best hope at finding this kid,” she lets her head fall lazily to the side and glances at him. “You okay with staying longer?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. He glances at the ship that is still far from being pieced back together. He didn’t know why she was asking him. It wasn’t like any of them had a real choice. He eventually says, “Yeah, I’m okay with that.”

“Good,” she claps her hand on his shoulder and tosses her chin towards Pendewqell who is grumbling curse words under his breath while trying to rewire part of a panel. “Because I might murder everyone on board if I’m stuck with Pendewqell by myself.”

Kix manages a chuckle and follows her into the ship. Sparks pop overhead when they make it to the bridge. Parts and bolts are strewn across the floor and there’s a faint hint of smoke in the air layered with grease and droid fumes. There’s still a giant orange blob covering the seat behind the pilot chair where Emmy was found. They knocked her out with some sleeping gas and covered her with the paint that glued its victims to their spot. She’s working on the roof of the ship fully recovered. Not that she seemed jarred by the incident. Kix still hasn’t heard her utter a word or change her expression from anything other than neutral.

“I don’t care how difficult it is, just get the navigation system back online!” Jacen shouts with half his body sticking out from under the Ghost’s control panels. Chopper responds in a few low grunts and the shake of his metal arms before rolling to the other side of the bridge and plugging in. Azil pops her head up from the nose gun below the pilot’s chair.

“You get everything situated?” she asks with her large arms folding on the bridge floor.

“Yeah, it should work now.” Kix nods. Azil slips out of view before hearing her start up the weapons system.

“Alright, the weapons are back online!” she calls from below. Jacen slides out from under the control panel and sits up.

“Good, we can test them out on Fives.” He gets to his feet and Kix steps quickly out of his way. Jacen’s lighthearted attitude went out the window the second he caught sight of the ship. No one a part of the Corsair crew has dared to say anything to him yet. Reveth and Kix exchange a look, daring the other to speak up first. It’s Jacen who breaks their silence, “What?”

Reveth clears her throat, “I spoke with my captain. He wants to know what other lead you have of finding this kid?”

Jacen’s shoulders rise and fall with a deep sigh. He falls into the pilot chair, swiveling it around to face them, “I think it was safe to say Qell’s working with Fives. We can try tracking down his ship but that’ll be a stretch.”

None of that was an answer to Reveth’s question so she waits for him to continue.

“I’ve got someone who might be able to help. But… I gotta make a few calls before I can be sure.” He finally says. He turns away from them to continue working on the ship. Kix and Reveth exchange a look before turning away. While walking past the rooms, Kix pauses by one with the doors open. Paint like the one Fives sprayed throughout the shrike glows on half of the dark walls. On the other side of the room is murals, paintings, art. Not that Fives’s stuff couldn’t be seen as art, its just easier to admire something when the artist didn’t rob you. Caleb appears beside Kix, startling him.

“We shared a room,” he walks into the room to place his helmet on a dresser on the side with the murals.

“Were you close?” Kix runs a hand along a bright green streak in the doorway that trails off into a creature running along the wall.

“In our own way,” he shrugs. He leans against his dresser. “He stayed with me and my parents after… well, everything.”

Kix glances at Caleb before turning to face to him. “What do you mean by everything?”

Caleb crosses his arms and stares at the ground. Specs of paint dust the dark ship floor. “After Uncle Rex and Auntie Ava died and… after the First Order.”

Kix tilts his head, thinking. “Rex died of our age acceleration. How did his wife die?”

This causes Caleb to make a face. They meet each others eyes, each holding their own mixture of confusion. Caleb shakes his head, “Uncle Rex didn’t die from age acceleration.”

This causes Kix to stiffen. He opens his mouth but the ship lifts suddenly and then falls just as quickly. He loses balance and falls into the ship corridor banging the back of his head. Caleb recovers faster than he does and jumps over Kix to make it to the bridge. Kix scrambles to his feet to chase after him while trying to fight the pounding in the back of his head. If Rex didn’t die from age acceleration… then how?

They find Jacen and Azil clinging to chairs and flight controls. Chopper is yelling something about it not being his fault.

“Oh, it’s fixed, is it? Go back and redo it Chop!” Jacen snaps. He gets to his feet, wincing at some pain in his back and side. He turns to them when he’s fully recovered himself and hands a list to Caleb, “We need some parts if the Ghost plans on going anywhere.”

Caleb scans over the list, “No problem.” He starts to turn to leave and Kix almost stops him. his hand barely lifts from his side before stopping at an awkward height from his hips and shoulder. He wanted to continue their conversation from earlier, but he can see that the moment has passed. He lets Caleb disappear through the ship doors.

“You okay?” this comes from Azil who is flopped down in the copilot chair.

“I’m fine.” He says a little to plainly. Jacen lowers himself into the pilot chair with another deep sigh. He was clearly exhausted. Kix wanted to tell him to get some sleep but that would just be calling the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy.

“I’m sorry about all…” Jacen pauses to gesture at the surrounding ship. “… this.”

“It happens.” Kix shifts awkwardly near the doorway feeling the silence between the three of them. He almost wants to tell him how Fives decorated the Shrike and stole the memory core with the crew still on board. He doesn’t. Mostly because that would tarnish the Crimson Corsair’s reputation and because Kix wasn’t too thrilled about it himself. When his arms feel awkward hanging at his sides, he crosses them and asks, “Any idea of what Fives has planned?” “No,” Jacen shakes his head. Kix didn’t want to share to much of what Fives stole from the Corsair crew. Anyone with a moral compass would fight to destroy it. There was a time Kix would have agreed with them. Now he’s just going through the motions, trying to appear useful. “Fives has always been a bit impulsive. It was always hard to tell what he was thinking. He’d start a small project to build a simple toy ship and then next thing you know he’s got half of a speeder bike built in the back yard.”

Azil gives a soft chuckle from her chair. “He did have some good ideas though. Got us in and out of trouble all the time.”

Jacen rubs the back of his neck while leaning on his knees. “Mostly in trouble though.”

Kix presses his lips into a tight line. Why would Fives want the memory core? To sell what he finds the way the Corsair crew planned to? He studies the looks of Jacen and Azil’s faces. There was more to their expressions then just the pain of seeing someone go down a dark path. There’s guilt in their eyes. Guilt for not being able to stop him from going down this path or guilt for something else? He wants to question them about the truth behind Rex’s death when a ping ignites behind Jacen. Jacen turns the pilot chair towards the flight controls and presses the glowing com button.

The image of a woman appears before them. She’s older with hair tucked into a bun behind her head. She gives cocky smile towards Jacen and Azil. There was something about her that seemed familiar to Kix.

“What could you kids be up to that needs my help?” the woman asks with a slight laugh. The air in the room feels lighter now. A smile appears on both Jacen and Azil’s face.

“Hey Auntie,” Jacen rubs the back of his neck. “I just need to ask if…”

He’s cut off by Chopper bursting forward from where he was plugged into the ship. he begins telling the woman about how the ship got torn apart. Jacen and Azil both turn to stop the droid but its to late. The woman begins laughing and shaking her head.

“You better hope your mother doesn’t find out, kid.” She runs a hand over her hair. Her eyes wonder over towards Kix. He finds himself stiffening at her gaze. He wasn’t sure if he should introduce himself. They linger on him for a long time but before Kix can work up the nerve to speak her eyes are back on Jacen and Azil. “So, what’s the problem?”

“It’s Fives.” Azil says it. Kix sees the woman’s light happy face shift into something darker. Then he sees it. Guilt.

“What has he done?” her voice is flat. Her smile is gone. Jacen gestures reluctantly around him.

“He’s also messed with the Crimson Corsair. We’re trying to find him to settle things before he gets himself killed.” Jacen explains. He leans against the flight controls with a heavy sigh. The woman frowns and turns her eyes back on Kix.

“What did he do?”

Kix was suddenly back in a mission brief. It felt so similar to a Jedi General peering at Kix when he gave his input on the casualty statistics for the upcoming battle. He finds himself standing a little taller, almost as if he were at attention.

“He stole… something of ours, Ma’am. My captain is determined to get it back.” Kix stops himself from saying memory core. She had a military sense about her. She would probably grasp what it could mean if it fell into the wrong hands. Kix wasn’t sure if was considered the right hands anymore. The woman nods slowly, not taking her eyes off him.

“So, what is it you’re asking of me?” this is directed at Jacen. Jacen sits up straight in his seat.

“We’re currently on Coruscant. Do you think Jess might be able to meet up with us and help track him down?”

They watch the woman, but her face reveals nothing until she says, “She’s been deployed to the unknown regions.” Jacen nods slowly, “I figured as much. I just wanted to ask…” “But,” she says causing Jacen to press his lips together and squeeze his eyes shut. “Dogma is available and on Coruscant right now.”

Kix watches Jacen’s pained expression force itself into a smile. “That would be great, Auntie.”

Azil tries to cover a laugh by coughing into her arm. The woman arches a brow at them as they continue to try and fail at hiding their true thoughts. Kix barely noticed any of this because he was too busy thinking back to Dogma from the 501st. there is no way that Dogma is still alive. Kix lifts a hand to rub the rising headache that threatens to emerge. Kriff if Dogma is alive… he can’t keep a groan from escaping his lips. Luckily no one seemed to hear it over their own groans.

“Dogma’s performing in the main square topside. Be sure to send love.” The woman is back to smiling. Jacen nods his head in slow pained movements.

“Thank you, Auntie Leia.” Jacen forces out.

“May the Force be with you.” The woman, Leia, disappears. Azil and Jacen exchange a look before Azil bursts into laughter.

“I told you this would happen! I told you.” Azil holds her hands up. Jacen rests his forehead on the ships steering system.

“Call Caleb and tell him to get back here. If we’re doing this, he’s doing this.”

Kix found himself jittery with a mixture anticipation and dread. He wanted to find this person named Dogma but… he wasn’t sure how he would react if it actually turned out to be his Dogma. And judging by the expressions on Jacen and Azil, it very well could be… his Dogma.

It would be another 30 minutes before Caleb was able to return to the Ghost and for them to find their way up to the topside of Coruscant. Emmy volunteered to stay behind with Chopper to continue fixing the ship. Caleb tried to take her place, but Jacen wouldn’t allow it. They heard the main square before they saw it. There’s a theater in the main square where popular musicians often played back in the day. Kix, Jesse, and Hardcase managed to sneak into one of the shows once. A popular jazz band had been playing then. Now upbeat modern music radiates from the theater speakers. Spotlights shine up into the sky as shimmery confetti rains slowly from above the closer came to the theater. He was beginning to doubt that this was his Dogma.

When they find themselves standing at a gate looking down at the rows of admiring spectators Kix is 100% sure this is definitely not his Dogma. Bright lights beam down on the stage and flash out to the crowd. The music was as loud as the bar where they got their asses handed to them. At the center of the stage a Pantoran woman sings and dances. Five background dancers dance behind her. the crowd is made mostly of young women. Kix glances at Reveth who looks like she has just been dragged to a torture room.

“What. Is. Happening?” she groans when Kix and Pendewqell pull her through the crowds following behind the Ghost crew.

“Remember when we were feared pirates searching old shipwrecks and old crypts?” Pendewqell mutters.

“Good times.” Kix can’t keep the laugh down. They were completely out of their element. Of course, they have been ever since Fives made his way onboard the Shrike. They find themselves towards the right side of the stage where a large man acts as a guard. Jacen says something to him that lets them pass. They are taken into a building and taken up to the top floor to a room that looks down on the performance. There they wait for this Dogma to finish performing. Azil and Caleb lean on the railing from the balcony looking down at the performance while Jacen busies himself with drinking. Reveth and Pendewqell join him. Kix spends his time studying the room. Tables of fresh fruit line one wall and a table of assorted drinks line another. The room had a pleasant smell from all of the flowers scattered about on pedestals. He finds a deep closet filled with different clothes and costume and beyond a couple of sofas and flower stands the room is bare. He crosses over to the sofas and takes a seat next to Jacen.

Kix isn’t sure how much longer they wait, but by the time the music outside dies down, half of the crew is drunk, and the other half is dying of boredom. Jacen forces himself to stand, finds his balance, and faces the door. Reveth finishes her drink and watches the door. When the lift doors open, the Pantoran woman steps into the room. She glances at their group that is half drunk and half engorged from eating most of the prepared food. A big practiced smile spreads across her face.

“Cousins!” her voice is similar to when Senators were trying to play nice with others. Always made Kix’s skin crawl. Her arms are outstretched towards the Ghost crew. Her eyes narrow slightly at the three Corsair crew. “… and others!”

“Dogma,” Jacen gives her a hug that last for a second before quickly parting. Kix rests his head back on the couch. Not his Dogma. Then he thinks, who names their kid Dogma? “Your concert was great!”

This was a lie since Jacen barely paid it any attention. Azil is next in the line for hugs. She wraps her large arms around the small woman and squeezes her so tight that she lifts her off the ground for a moment before setting her back down.

“Azil! I’m so glad to see you!” a real smile appears on the woman’s face when they part from each other.

“Ireally liked your concert.” Azil says, shooting a look towards Jacen. Jacen rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. Caleb side steps to get a quick hug.

“I thought it was fine.” Caleb shrugs his shoulders. This makes the woman laugh. Kix almost thinks it was genuine.

“Thank you,” the woman says but her eyes are turning towards Kix, Reveth, and Pendewqell. Her eyes stop on Kix. Her cold calculating gold eyes shift from emotions so quickly Kix can’t read them. Just when her mask breaks and hints of blurring eyes and sadden features appear, Pendewqell drunkenly raises a glass.

“I liked the drinks!” he slurs and then laughs, burps, and finishes off his drink. The woman’s mask is back on, hiding any expression that might have emerged. Kix closes his eyes and shakes his head. Reveth stands and faces the woman.

“We’re here on business.” Her tone cuts through the Ghost crew’s happy reunion. The woman now frowns but walks past Reveth. Kix thinks he can see a blood vein throbbing in Reveth’s temple. The woman pours herself a drink and kicks off her heals. Her blue skin shines from a mixture of sweat and glitter. She pulls her long pastel purple hair out of its tight ponytail and leans against the table to stare at them over her glass.

“Well? Speak.” Her tone matches Reveth’s. Kix can see why Jacen reacted the way he did before. She may not be his Dogma, but something told him she might not be any better. Jacen is the one to step forward when Reveth looks like she might snap.

“We need help,” Jacen starts, now standing between Dogma and the others, “It’s Fives.”

The woman pauses. Her face doesn’t change from her current expression, but Kix can see her eyes fighting to conceal her real emotion.

“What do you want with my brother?”

Read full story HERE on AO3!!!

“Emmy, you stay with the ship just in case we need a speedy getaway.” Jacen instructs when the Ghost id docked. The nautolan nods, still not saying a word. Kix flinches when the orange droid, Chopper, speeds past him. Caleb elbows Kix.

“He grows on you, trust me.” He winks before pulling on his Mandalorian helmet. Kix glances at Reveth who just shrugs. They follow Jacen off the Ghost and out into the Coruscant Underworld. When Kix first steps off the ship ramp, he takes a moment to glance up at all the starships floating in and out of the large docking tunnels. Even though he was born and raised on Kamino and everything he loved is most likely gone or changed into something unrecognizable to him, he can’t help thinking, I’m home.

“Alright, stay close. The bar isn’t to far from here.” Jacen calls from the front of the group. Kix snaps out of his gaze when Pendewqell shoves him forward. He stumbles slightly and shoots a look over his shoulder, but Pendewqell doesn’t seemed fazed. Kix takes everything in. The poorly lit walking paths plotted with filth and trash. The almost nauseating stench of ship exhaust and every now and then the putrid stench of sewage. But what he really enjoyed was the starship traffic overhead that forms a river of lights in the sky. While taking in the sights of the city he once called home, he almost doesn’t notice a hand attempt to pickpocket him. Kix reacts quickly, catching the thief’s hand and pulling them away from his body. The boy no older then 16 looks flustered by getting caught before ultimately running away.

“Got to be careful on the streets,” Azil says when they continue walking, “Coruscant used to be a respected planet. But now its fallen to crime syndicates.”

“How is that possible?” Kix frowns as he walks. She shrugs with the shake of her head.

“After the Empire fell it went back to being peaceful but…” she trails off.

“But then the First Order showed up and now this place is as lawless as ever.” Caleb finishes for her. Kix doesn’t push the subject any further. He’s already spotted a few stormtroopers peppered into the crowds. The first time he ever saw one he mistook it for a clone trooper. The sudden burst of excitement and relief to not be alone that was immediately extinguished when he heard the strangers voice speak back to him. The clones are gone. Now, he’s all that’s left.

It doesn’t take long to make it to their destination. Kix is surprised to see how large the bar is. it looks more like a warehouse then a place to get drinks. A few groups of people are loitering out front around several parked speeders. Kix follows silently behind the Ghost crew as they enter the bar.

Inside it’s almost pitch black except for the neon paint spread along the walls, floors, and ceilings. The mass of people dancing to the overly loud music all wear some form of brightly colored fabric that lights up like the paint. Some have symbols painted on their bodies if only to have something that glowed in the dark. Kix realizes the paint on Caleb ignites in the dark like everything else. He sticks closer to the others. It would be way to easy to get lost in a place like this.

They eventually find a long bar that stretches the length of the back wall with several bartenders scattered about to serve as many people as possible. Kix sees Jacen peering at each bartender before shaking his head. Azil gstures to the second floor that looks down at the main horde of dancing people. They make their way to one of the two stairs and begin climbing. Each stair is painted a different color, forming a rainbow all the way to the top. the second floor is much less crowded. There are sectioned off areas with cushioned benches and private tables. They pass one man that is surround by women of different species and the next is a group of men throwing a bachelor party. Kix notices a much smaller bar in the corner. Only one man stands to serve drinks. When they approach the small bar, the bartender doesn’t look up from drying a glass.

“What do you want?” his voice is low, but it carries over the music. Jacen takes a seat on one of the five barstools. The man behind the bar is a Kiffar. His clan tattoo is a gold line running down his forehead, nose, lips, and chin with three gold dots marked under his left eye. He is completely different then the other bartenders. While the others wear vests that glow different colors in the dark, he only wears dark clothes. He has a long jacket that rests just past his shoulders revealing gold tattoos that cover his left shoulder and travel down his arm to where Kix could no longer see. The top of his dreads is pulled back into a bun while the lower part is let to fall below his shoulders.

“I’m looking for my cousin.” Jacen tries to speak loud with out shouting. The man finally sets the glass down and meets Jacen’s eyes. He reaches under the bar and pulls out a shot glass before pouring blue neon liquid to its brim. He slides it towards Jacen.

“What makes you think I know where he is?” the man tilts his head but shows no emotion.

Jacen leans over the bar. “He’s in trouble Qell.”

When the man, Qell, doesn’t react in any way, Reveth pushes her way forward. She takes the shot meant for Jacen and downs it in one go. She slams the glass on the table and meets Qell’s eyes. “The Crimson Corsair is looking for him. You can tell us what you know, or things can get messy.”

Something in his eyes change. Qell leans shifts his weight while mulling it over. He crosses his arms and stares at the floor with his lips pressed into a thin line. After a moment he gives a small nod.

“Fine,” he says making Jacen’s shoulders relax. Kix glances at Caleb and Azil. They keep their guard up. “I’ll go get him.”

“Alright,” Jacen breathes. When Qell disappears through a hidden door by the bar, Kix gets an uneasiness deep in his gut. “I told you he’d do the right thing.”

Azil gives a snort and begins pacing the length of the small bar. “We’ll see…”

While they wait for Qell to supposedly retrieve Fives for them, Kix pears down at the dancing crowd. The crowd swells and falls like uneven ripples across water. There may have been a time where he would want to join them. Especially if Jesse and Hardcase talked him into it. They were good at that. His thoughts are interrupted by a loud siren blaring through the building. He covers his ears, wincing. Down below, he can make out two people running through the crowds dispersing something to each patron. After a moment he realizes they’re masks. He quickly whips his head towards the people in the private areas to see them sitting comfortably on the benches all wearing masks that glow different neon colors.

“What’s going on?” Pendewqell screams over the siren.

“Shit.” Caleb curses under his breath. Kix follows his eyes and see even the bartenders are now wearing masks. All of their masks glow red. Kix flinches when a large, animated eyes and mouth appears on the large wall overlooking the crowds.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” the loud animated voice speaks commanding everyone’s attention. Kix reaches for his blaster but only grasps at air. He peeks over his shoulder to see his blaster is gone. The others catch on and find that their blasters are missing as well. “Now is the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Remember to keep your masks on at all times and to act responsibly! If you need assistance at any moment, please do not hesitate to hit the red button on the side of your masks or to reach out to anyone wearing a red mask!”

“What does that mean?” Azil asks before yelling. “What does that mean?”

The eyes and mouth disappear. A large red 10 appears on the wall. Everyone below begins to chant out the countdown.

“We don’t have weapons Jacen.” Caleb hisses. Jacen stands next to everyone unsure of what to do.

“We don’t know what its counting down to! It might not be anything bad.” Jacen doesn’t sound convincing.

“… 5… 4… 3… 2…” The crowd continues chanting. Kix holds his breath. Everything in him tells him to run. Then the crowd screams, “… 1!”

At first, nothing happens. Then the lights flip on causing Kix and the others to flinch and groan at the sudden brightness. This has been happening a lot to Kix. But when the lights shut off again a horn is blown and clouds of color rain down on everything. The music is blaring so loudly that Kix can feel it in his chest. the people go nuts dancing in the clouds of color and soon colorful foam appears on the floor. Kix and the others all give a semi embarrassed “Oh.”

“My blaster is still missing!” Reveth hisses through clenched teeth as if to remind them that this wasn’t innocent at all. Kix turns to respond to her but suddenly feels a blow against the center of his shoulder blades. He doesn’t fully realize what’s happening until he hits the ground. On the first floor. He lets out a long groan and then cough when the smoke gets into his lungs. Its not the same type of smoke that the kid Fives used on him, but it still made breathing difficult. He struggles not to slip on the foam that now covers the floor. A torguta man walks towards him wearing a red mask. Kix holds out a hand, assuming he’s here to assist him but is then kicked in the chest and sent sliding across the floor.

He has to use a table currently occupied by a group of women to get to his feet. They stare at him blankly, so he bows his head at them and goes, “Ladies.”

He barely has time to adjust to standing again when the next hit comes. This time he’s able to lift his arms and shield himself. When the man swings a leg, Kix manages to catch it throw the man off balance. He throws a punch himself but the man dodges. The smoke stings his eyes, and he coughs so hard his lungs ache. This gives the man another opening. The man’s boot collides with the side of Kix’s head sending him flying to the floor again. This time when he tries to get to his feet, he waits. When he hears the man approaching, Kix pulls a knife, one he just remembered he had, and swings at the man. The man tries to dodge but Kix is able to plunge it into his thigh. The man lets out a painful scream before punching the side of Kix’s head. When Kix no longer sees two of everything, the man is gone.

Kix stumbles to his feet, wincing at the throbbing in his head and the ache in his back from his fall. He glances towards the second floor. Azil is draped over the side rails, Jacen is currently getting to his feet, and Pendewqell coughs hysterically into his arm from the floor. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Reveth and Caleb still in the midst of battle. Qell and a female Mikkian fight off Caleb and Reveth on the rainbow stairs. He begins stumbling towards them, but the crowd is to pact together and he couldn’t manage his way through. More colorful smoke rains down obstructing his view of their fighting. He coughs harder and waves the smoke away.

Hands shove Kix into someone behind him. Qell runs past with the Mikkian woman. Kix gladly runs after them when he sees their headed for the exit, but he’s trapped in the crowd. They jump and chant from under their masks completely unaware of what’s happening. Kix coughs harder, feeling himself curl into himself. Hands push him through the crowd. Reveth appears, now covered in paint and bruises. She helps him through the dancing crowd and to the exit.

The fall through the doors, landing on the ground. Both coughs roughly towards the ground. They crawl further away from the entrance so they can sit themselves up against the building walls. Some of the loiterers outside stare at them judgingly. When the doors burst open again, it’s the Ghost crew and Pendewqell. Caleb is the only one who seems fine. His Mandalorian helmet saved him from the smoke.

“Well,” Jacen’s voice is hoarse, and he tries to keep himself from cough anymore. “That could have gone better.”

“No shit.” Reveth gets to her feet. She slams the side of her fist against the bar wall in frustration.

“We should get back to the ship.” Azil’s voice is strained but no one argues. Each of them is covered in the colorful smoke. They leave a trail of neon footprints as they make their way through the city. They don’t say a word. Each of them is pissed and while they won’t admit it, embarrassed. When they make their way into the port where the Ghost is docked, they freeze.

Panels from the ghost lay on the floor with bolts and nails rolling around. A part of the ramp lies flat on the ground while the rest hangs in the air. Bits and pieces of the Ghost are strewn throughout the dock. Jacen walks forward, hands squeezed into tight fists. A ship hovers above the Ghost with wires tethered down to the hyperdrive being lifted from the ship. on top is two Jawas. Both waves enthusiastically. The sound of thrusters draws their attention to Qell who is lifting up to the Jawas. He glares down at them and gives a low laugh.

“I’ll give Fives your regards!” he shouts before the ship pulls them away.

***

When Qell is safely in the ship, he gives a long low sigh. He pulls his mask off and tosses it onto the couch that curves into one of the ships corners. The twins push past him while bickering over their new hyperdrive.

“Hey, Gigi, Suzu, cut it out.” His voice reveals how exhausted he really is. “Go make sure Chop doesn’t need any help.” The two Jawas nods and shuffle off to find Chop. Qell takes this moment to rub his face. When the ship doors open, Calli steps into the room. She’s doesn’t take her eyes off the datapad that’s in her hands.

“You okay?” Qell places his large blaster on the table by the couch. When she doesn’t respond or even acknowledge him, he asks again. This time she flinches and meets his eyes.

“What?”

Qell gives a soft laugh before saying, “Are you injured?”

“Oh,” her pink nose wrinkles at such a thought, “no, I’m fine. Chop on the other hand got stabbed in the leg.”

“Of course he did.” Qell rolls his eyes. Calli begins walks towards another set of doors before Qell speaks up again. “How is he?”

She pauses, not looking back at him. her voice is forcefully neatrul. “The same.”

When she disappears through the ship doors, he feels the quietness settle. It’s a peaceful quiet but it gnaws at the pit in his stomach. The pit formed by the worry that’s been building up little by little with every passing day. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to ease the worry back down. When the ship doors open again, Chop walks out, wearing an apron and rubber gloves that stretch to his elbows.

“What are you doing?” Qell sighs when the torguta shuffles through cabinets while mumbling to himself.

Chop pauses to stare at him and then, as if it wasn’t clear enough, lifts his rubbered hands and says, “Dishes.”

“Dammit Chop! Go find Calli and get your leg patched up!” Qell shouts but there’s no real anger behind it. Chop hops from one thought to the other usually before Qell has time to question his first one. Chop almost looks confused before glancing down at his leg.

“Oh, right.” He says. “I’ll go find Calli.”

Qell shakes his head while watching him leave. Not 10 minutes ago he was fighting in the bar. Now he’s trying to do the dishes with a bleeding leg. Qell decides that this is enough for one day. Calli can hold it down long enough for him to get some rest.

When the doors part, he’s greeted by his dark room. The only light is from Fifi’s work bench lamp. He can’t help but eye the memory core sitting in the center. He forces his eyes away and pulls his coat off. He hangs it in his closet before kicking off his shoes and then lining them neatly with his others. He notices some of Fifi’s clothes strewn around and gathers them in his arms before dropping them into the dirty hamper. He rubs the back of his neck and sits on the edge of the bed. The lump behind him shifts.

“You know,” he starts softly, “Your cousin came looking for you.”

He waits for some form of response. The only thing he gets is another shift from under the blankets. He can spot a few strands of blonde hair peeking from under the covers. Qell stares at his hands. He’s not sure how much he should tell him. At least right now. Fifi gets in these moods. Sometimes he’s really up and feels like he can do almost anything. Things like still a memory core from the fuckingCrimson Corsair. And then there are times like this. The times where getting out of bed is next to impossible. Qell presses his lips together and squeezes his eyes shut before letting out a breath and relaxing his shoulders. He'll wait until Fifi feels better. Then they’ll come up with a game plan.

“I’m sorry.” Fifi’s voice is small. Qell looks back at the mass of blankets and pillows. He crawls over and peels the covers back just enough for him to plant a soft kiss on the top of the blonde head.

“It’s alright. Get some rest.” Qell speaks softly. “When you feel better, we’ll figure out the next phase of the plan.”

He doesn’t stir anymore under the blankets. Qell lets the covers fall back over his hair. He thinks back to the red twi’lek. And that man. The one that almost looked like Fifi. He glances at Fifi’s helmet that sits in its usual place on top of Fifi’s dresser. The clones are gone. He reminds himself. There was no way that he was a clone. A child of a clone? Yes. But even as he tells himself this, he can’t help but feel the nervous pit in his stomach grow.

(I know it might be confusing that Rex's kid is named Fives so I'm gonna try and have them call him by some nicknames. I just can't see how Rex wouldn't name his kid after Fives though, so I'm probably gonna keep the name.)