Chapter 8: A Broken Bond Pt 3

"Exactly how do you know of my ex-captain?"

"There are many more who watched over you other than your dear friend."

"I assume even those within the Empire watched me then."

"We never saw any, but we had our suspicions when you began to go on with you bounty hunting."

"Why is everyone so interested in me? I'm just an average tomboyish female-"

"With black horns and a slow aging process."

Crystaall pushed the soldier with both her hands and backed away from the man. Now she was worried. He interrupted her own sentence to tell her things she only recently discovered. The horn thing was something she never wanted an explanation for. How come this trooper knew almost everything about her but her mother wasn't aware of anything. To have your soldiers keep secrets from you would enrage any top commander, and possibly a Queen more. But the man seemed to be honest, and by the tone of his voice he was focused on something else rather than keeping the girl safe. He obviously knew she could handle herself. Crystaall fiddled with the black dress she wore and sighed. She felt like she was in a never ending cycle of anger, depression and knowledge. But she stopped thinking as she watched John look up very slowly. His eyes showed the fear a warrior would possess when defeat was almost imminent. Crystaall looked up with him and then the whole party stopped. In the sky were three triangular starships. Three Star Destroyers, with fighters and landing craft coming out of the woodworks.

"We have to move. Now Crystaall!"

"Got it!"

They both began to turn and run when fighters began to close in on Theed and began to open fire and Crystaall could here the blaster fire rather clearly as the fighter went over their heads. John had ducked but Crystaall kept moving, and then grabbed the clone's arm, pulling him with her. He felt demoralized that he was being pulled by her. Not that she was a woman, but she had seen less combat than he did in his first time on Geonosis. A hunter that preferred to never kill was pulling a soldier born to do such.

"Come on John! We have to get in the Palace!"

"No... you go."

They stood on steps that led straight into the Palace, but Crystaall stopped and looked at the man with complete confusion. Was he a madman?