Bonus Chapter 2

Hunter

Set during Chapter 39 of Contingency

Muted red light reflected across the floor of the medical bay, growing brighter with every moment the sun rose higher on the horizon. With his sharp eyes, he could see it growing brighter by the second. See everything as it came into sharper clarity with the growing light. Including the slight figure sleeping in the chair in front of him.

Saedii's head was propped on the chairback at an uncomfortable angle. One hand rested on the mattress at her side, entwined with her friend's, who was also sleeping.

When she was awake, Hunter avoided looking too closely at her. Tried not to draw attention to just how frail she looked. But now that she was asleep, he took the opportunity to really look at her.

She looked...fragile. Not skinny – her body, in fact, was corded with powerful muscle, and that slight bit of teenage roundness that had hung to her face was gone, replaced with the sharper features of a young woman now. No, it was her skin that looked frail – pale and wan and thin. Hunter could even see her veins pumping beneath the skin on her hands.

Dark shadows lingered beneath her eyes, even in sleep. Chapped lips pressed into a tight line, and her jaw was rigid, as if, even in sleep, she found no peace. Her body curled in on itself and she shivered, despite the pleasant air that filtered in through the open window nearby.

Never before had she looked so small to him. So young. His chest tightened as he looked at her sleeping figure and for the first time realized just how very much a child she still was.

There was a new scar on her cheek. A burn, if Tech was correct, which he usually was. Bruises encircled each wrist and her neck from where the metal shackles had held her in place to the stone table, back on Nur. He was sure she had others, too, though he hadn't asked about them.

And most would not be visible anyways. The mental scars she'd carry after this would run deep.

One of his hands ran along his face. He wished there was something he could do for her. Some way to take away the pain; the horrors of the last year. To take away the trauma and the guilt.

She didn't deserve this. Any of it.

His nose burned as AZI bustled past, syringe in hand. Whatever was inside smelled sharp and metallic, like fresh cut iron. Hunter rubbed his nose as he watched AZI insert the syringe into Kalth's IV bag.

The kid was a problem, too. He hadn't anticipated Saedii bringing a friend with her – and especially not one who'd tried to kill them. Crosshair had been arguing to smother him before he woke, but Rex and Hunter hadn't allowed it.

What the hell were they supposed to do with him? His team had barely survived one teenage Jedi. There's no way they'd survive another.

But they couldn't just leave him, either. Once he woke up and saw the Rebellion unfolding around him, he'd become a liability – exactly why Crosshair had argued against keeping him alive. But that stance was much harder to take sitting here by his bedside. In sleep, he looked just as young as Saedii. Just a kid himself.

Faint voices carried somewhere down the hall. One of them mentioned the med bay.

Whoever they were, Hunter wasn't going to let them wake Saedii up.

Silently, Hunter got to his feet and moved the curtain of the nearest empty bed. This was the first time that he'd seen her sleep without a sedative, and he wanted her to keep sleeping. To get the rest that her haggard body so desperately needed. With one quick jerk, the sheet tucked into the mattress sprang free, and the bed was ready.

Saedii was agitated as he approached her. Beneath her closed lids, her eyes roamed frantically, as if she was cataloguing enemies and exit routes. A scared sound scraped low in her throat, and the sound buried a blade deep into his chest.

Gently, he uncurled her fingers from her friend's. They twitched without the warmth before curling in on themselves. As he carefully wound his arms beneath her shoulders and knees, that hand drifted up to cradle protectively against her chest.

Her body was so damn light in his arms. Too light. As strong as she looked, she was still small. Still a child. His child.

With silent footsteps, he carried her to the empty bed where he laid her down on the mattress. One hand cradled her head as he guided it onto the pillow, hair splaying along his fingers.

Hunter paused, hand lingering along her cheek. He took a moment to just hold her. To remind himself that she was here and safe – not trapped or in pain or afraid. That hand tightened ever so slightly along the ridge of her face as he leaned in and gently kissed the top of her head.

If he could trade places with her, he'd do so in a heartbeat. If he could have taken her place on that table, he would have. And more than anything, he wished he could take that pain away from her now and put it into his own body. That he could give her peace that she so desperately wanted.

But he couldn't. There was nothing he could do but wait.

Tugging at the sheets, he pulled them up and over Saedii's shoulders. Relief burned low in his veins as the shivering stopped and she curled in on herself. The tight hold of her jaw relaxed.

The door opened. Familiar footsteps pealed faintly on the ground. Hunter's hearing was so well-attuned that he even knew who it was before they whispered to AZI, asking for him.

Behind him, the droid's face appeared at the curtain. Low enough not to wake the patients, AZI said, "Sargent, Commander Rex is here. He would like a word."

Hunter nodded and pulled the curtain behind him. Giving Saedii just a little space of quiet as he turned to the white figures that moved towards him in the predawn light.

Rex and Cody approached cautiously. Both looked to the closed curtain at Hunter's back, as if they knew who slept inside. Who he guarded. Hunter's protective posture was enough to make them cautious.

"How's she doing?" Rex asked quietly, keeping his voice as low as AZI.

"Not good."

Rex lowered his head. He looked as remorseful as Hunter felt as he said, "Wolffe told me she wasn't doing well."

"Do you need anything?" Cody asked. "You or her?"

"No," Hunter said. There was nothing that would heal Saedii except for time. And even that was a little unclear at the moment.

"Well, we've got plenty of extra supplies if she changes her mind."

The way he said it drew Hunter's interest. For the first time since they'd returned, he thought about the other half of Saedii's rescue party. Thought of the Clones that had followed General Ahsoka Tano to the front gates to draw attention and fire away as Hunter and his squad slipped below.

The flight home had been a lot emptier than the flight there. Hunter had been too preoccupied with Saedii at the time to give it much thought, but he thought of it now.

"How many men did we lose on Nur?"

Neither man changed expression, though Hunter could smell the sweat that dampened on their brows. Anxious sweat.

"You don't need to worry about that," Rex said at once, attention firmly on the curtains at Hunter's back. "You have more important things –"

"I want to know, Rex."

Whatever the number was, Hunter would accept responsibility for it. He would shoulder the blame so that Saedii wouldn't have to.

Rex debated for a moment before admitting, "A little over a hundred."

A hundred Clones. Dead.

It was a steep price to pay – the greatest loss that the Rebellion had suffered in nearly a year. And yet, Hunter knew that it was a price he would pay a thousand times over if it meant getting Saedii back.

Hunter accepted this with a steely nod. Those souls were on his shoulders. His responsibility. After all, he was the one who'd asked Rex for his help. They never would have made it past the front gate without him or the others.

Saedii could never know. She always found a way to blame herself, and with all the trauma she carried now, this would be too much for her.

"Saedii doesn't need to know," he said with a pointed look at Rex.

Cody stiffened at the order, but Rex nodded. "I'll pass that along. No Clone here will mention it to her. You have my word."

"So we just never talk about the men we lost? We let their sacrifice be for nothing?" Cody asked with a bite. Hunter glared at him, but Rex raised a hand.

"We will never forget their sacrifice," Rex said genially. "It's just not something that General Synn needs to hear. Not now, anyway."

The little bit of defensiveness in Cody's posture died away. He nodded as he glanced back in the direction of the curtain, understanding.

After a moment, Rex cleared his throat. "Have you decided what you're going to do now that you have her back?"

"What do you mean?"

There hadn't been a plan other than her rescue. Hunter's whole existence had centered around finding her again. And now that he had her, he could only think in moments at a time – measure the breaths Saedii took, the times she flinched at a sudden movement, the brushes of her hand against the necklace at her throat.

"Last year, you were talking about retiring to Pabu," Rex reminded him. The mention of that long-forgotten dream was like a jolt to his system, and he frowned. "Now that you have her back, are you going to leave?"

"Not to put any pressure on you, but we could really use your squad," Cody added.

Rex flashed him a look of caution. "What Cody means is that you're welcome here, of course, but we'll respect your decision if you still want to leave."

Hunter didn't answer. How could he, when he didn't know what he wanted?

Getting Saedii back had only been part of the problem. Now that she was safe, Hunter was realizing just how long her healing journey would be. She'd need access to medical droids. Medication. Needed an in-depth treatment plan. A stable, safe environment.

Moving her felt too risky. As much as he wanted to escape with them all to Pabu and let her heal there, he was scared of how this would impact her. If it would only set her back.

He blew out a slow breath. The sound had so much worry and anxiety in it that both of the older soldiers frowned. "I don't know what we're going to do yet. To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it."

"Take all the time you need. There's no rush." Rex glanced back at the curtain, and Hunter wondered what the battle-hardened commander was thinking. If he saw a wounded soldier behind that curtain...or a child.

"Thank you, Commander. I –"

Hunter broke off as sheets ruffled behind the curtain. A sharp breath sucked in, followed by much shallower, panicked breathing.

Saedii.

In two strides, he was at the curtain, pulling it back. Revealing the pale, sweating face that stared back at him, eyes wild and unfocused. Saedii's right hand clutched tightly around the necklace at her throat.

Her eyes flashed up to his. For a dangerous moment, Hunter wasn't sure she recognized him.

"You alright?" he asked. Not because he wanted an answer – he could see how very bad off she was in this moment, how alone and afraid – but in hopes that the sound of his voice would remind her that she was safe.

It took a moment, but slowly, recognition filled her wide lavender eyes. Relief flashed before it was replaced with confusion. Hunter heard the dry scrape of her throat as she swallowed, glancing around her.

He understood, then. She was disoriented.

"Easy," he said, careful to keep his voice soft. With exaggerated slowness, he sat on her bed and reached for her, running a comforting hand along the top of her head like he was soothing a wild animal. "You fell asleep. I thought a bed might be more comfortable."

Her eyes blinked heavily. The poor kid looked exhausted. He continued to stroke a hand along her hair as she came to her senses, feeling like his heart was breaking with every flash of emotion across her face.

One of my girls is hurting, and this is the only comfort I can give her, he thought bitterly. Wishing he could do more than just provide a comforting touch.

Outside the curtain, Rex and Cody had both gone still. One of them anxiously adjusted his weight.

Eyes hollow, Saedii looked at Hunter and asked, in a small voice, "This is real?"

Something sharp twisted in his chest again at the sheer hopelessness in her voice. The fear. Even now, she had a hard time telling reality from the drug-induced nightmares.

Hunter had never wanted to kill. But now, that one simple question was enough to make his anger rise. To inspire a single, furious thought.

He would kill Pong Krell for this.

Careful to keep his emotions tucked away, he ran his hand down along her cheek. It felt clammy and cold beneath his palm. "Yes. You're safe."

Cody sucked in a breath. Perhaps he hadn't realized just how bad off Saedii still was. How much PTSD she still carried. Now, maybe he would understand Hunter's indecision.

With a shaking breath, she released her death grip on the stone at her neck. Empty, her hand fell to the sheet in her lap, where she absently smoothed it out beneath her shaking fingers. Unconsciously, she leaned into his touch.

The curtain pulled back as Rex stepped in. Saedii's whole body jerked on instinct – towards the wall, as if searching for a tight corner to tuck herself into. When she realized who it was, her shoulders sagged, as if that one small movement had taken the last of her strength.

"Hey, kid." Rex's voice was gentle, too. So were his eyes as he looked at her, taking in the way that her shoulders curved in, as if expecting a blow.

Both his and Cody's eyes were trailing along Saedii's face. Taking stock of the bruises left behind from her capture and torture. Hunter wondered if they could see the invisible scars further beneath the surface.

A furrow appeared between Saedii's brows. A silent question.

In answer, Rex gave a wan smile. "I was running a few things by Hunter, but it can wait. I'll leave you two be."

It was a good lie. Tactful. Saedii seemed too caught up in her own terrorized mind to notice.

As the curtains fell behind them, Hunter tried very hard to push his thoughts of his conversation with Rex and Cody from his mind. He would speak with Tech and Echo about it later – about what they were going to do.

For now, Saedii needed him. His girl needed him.

Everything else could be worked out later.