Repurposed

                                                                      [14 BBY, Tatooine]

It was nearing midday on Tatooine, it's twin suns hanging high above the barren surface of the sandy planet below. As always, the constant rays of sunlight made the air warm and uncomfortable, a humid and sticky feeling surrounding everything. 

Former Clone trooper, Beacon, found this weather to be quite unpleasant. Especially after living on Naboo, a planet that was nearly the opposite of this place.

The sound of laughter rang out from behind him, and Beacon turned around to check on the three young clone cadets who were following behind him.

One clone, with yellow hair, had picked up a fistful of sand and was tossing it at another clone, who raised his arm to shield himself in annoyance. The yellow-haired clone was careful not to throw it at his brother's face- after all, he was being playful, not careless.

"Knock it off, Spark!" The clone who was being 'attacked' complained. In retaliation, he knelt down and scooped up a fistful of sand of his own, throwing it towards the clone named Spark.

Spark laughed again, ducking down at just the right moment so that the sand flew over his head, accidentally hitting the third clone cadet in the side of the face.

The third clone looked startled and unhappy at this, reaching up and wiping the sand off of his cheek and out of his hair. 

"Ooh, sorry, Cat!" Spark said once he stood back up to full height. He helped dust his brother off, still grinning. "I'll get Ellipse back for you, if you want!" He offered, immediatly reaching down for another handful of sand.

"Hey. Knock it off, you two." Beacon interjected, looking down at Spark and Ellipse sternly.

Ellipse stared up at Beacon with a gasp. "But he started it!" He said, pointing to Spark, who immediately dropped the fistful of sand and smiled innocently. 

Beacon sighed and picked out a few straggling sand grains from Cat's hair. "I don't care who started it," He told them. "I need you to act more mature, okay? Back on Kamino, this kind of behavior would never fly." He reminded. 

Ellipse frowned, looking down. "But we're not on Kamino anymore," He said quietly. 

Beacon looked at him, his expression softening. "I know, Ellie." He sighed.

Cat looked up at Beacon. "I miss Naboo." He told him. "I wish we didn't have to leave." He said sadly. At Cat's words, Spark's smile slowly faded and he nodded in agreement.

Beacon sighed again and gently rubbed Cat's shoulder. "I know." He answered. "I wish we didn't have to leave either. But if we're to stay hidden from the Empire, we had to move." He smiled and motioned for them to continue walking.

"This town is in the middle of nowhere. We'd be perfectly hidden." Beacon told the three of them. 

They were just arriving at the main entrance of town, the docking port that they had come from was a short walk away. A wooden sign bearing the town's name was mounted on a post near the front. It was carved in scrawling writing, some letters hard to make out.

Ellipse peered at the sign. "Yarrow," He read aloud as they walked passed.

"That's a boring name," Spark commented. He looked around, taking in all the details of town.

The small town of Yarrow was what one would imagine a typical city on Tatooine would look like. It had architectural elements resembling Mos Eisley's buildings, with it's own personal flare of designs to give the area it's own life. Above most of the paths were thin sheets of fabric, strewn between tall wooden poles to act as a barrier from the sunlight.

There were many moisture vaporators placed in localized spots, and a few people gathered around some of them, collecting water from it's large containers.

Dspite the town's small size, there seemed to be a decently large population. There was the constant sound of chatter as people walked down the streets, going about their daily routine. A few people rode on the backs of Eopies, and in the distance, the path opened up to a marketplace where different vendors were selling their wares and produce.

On the far side of town seemed to be a residential area, houses ranging in size. Everything seemed clustered together, the buildings built right besides each other with little space to spare, creating small alleyways and crawlspaces.

"It's hot," Spark complained. "The sun's too bright." He held up his hand to block the light and peered up at the cloudless sky.

Beacon patted his back. "We'll get used to it, I'm sure." He reassured, looking around as they walked while also making sure the three cadets stuck close. "Maybe we can find an apartment to rent, or a place to stay. That'll be nice, right?" He told them.

Cat nervously looked around, reaching out to hold Ellipse's hand. "This place is loud." He mumbled.

Ellipse let him hold his hand. "Seems like the same amount of loud as any marketplace. Calm down, Cat." He replied, used to Cat's fearful demeanor. 

"I am calm," Came his sullen response.

Beacon spotted a vendor selling food of sorts and looked back down to the three cadets. "Hey, look. It's been a long morning for all of us. Why don't we have a break for lunch, okay? We can continue looking around afterwards." He walked over to the booth and examined all the food options. 

The cadets followed behind, staying in their own little group. "There doesn't seem to be anything fun to do here." Spark said, kicking at the sand. He looked to Ellipse. "At least there was places to explore on Naboo. Here it's all just rocks and dust."

"Maybe Beacon's right- we'll get used to it eventually." Ellipse told him. "Besides- we can build sand castles, right?" He smiled, trying to remain positive.

"I guess so," Spark shrugged with a dramatic sigh, leaning against Cat's shoulder. Cat laughed and gently reached up to pat Spark's head.

Ellipse heard the sound of approaching speeder bikes, looking around as the noise of the engines got louder. 

On the other side of the marketplace, a group of ten or so people parked their speeders and jumped off. They were dressed in armor that was covered in spikes and different accessories, some wearing more items of armor then the other. 

The group had a negative presence surrounding them, and as soon as everyone caught sight of them, a hush fell over the once noisy marketplace. 

"Who are those guys?" Spark whispered, watching with curiosity. 

Beacon looked over, examining the group's attire. By the looks of it, they were ruffians- probably belonging in some sort of gang. "No one good," He whispered back to Spark. "Stay close, okay, you three?" Beacon turned back to the vendor. "Hey. Who are those guys?" He whispered.

The vendor looked to Beacon with a worried expression. "Are you new in town? Everybody knows who they are." He said quietly. "Those are some of Teivel's thugs. Once a week they steal produce and credits from us, and call it 'tax'." The vendor frowned angrily. "It's more like criminal behavior to me," He muttered.

Beacon listened. "That's awful. Can't something be done about it?" He asked.

The vendor shook his head. "We're the only town for miles. One day, Teivel and his gang just showed up and took control." he sighed, leaning his elbows against the counter. "Besides, we're not fighters. Just regular people." 

One of the thugs, presumably Teivel, stepped forwards, addressing the whole marketplace. He was a tall Nautolan male, with heavy armor and a large weapon attached to his back. "You all know why we're here." He spoke in a loud and authoritative voice. "We expect payment to be ready, or else you know what'll happen." 

From behind Teivel, one of the thugs pointed their blaster into the sky and fired a single shot as an example. Those who were behind booths warily began to bring out sacks tied with twine, placing them on the counters and stepping back.

The thugs started to walk around and collect the sacks, Teivel staying in the center of the marketplace and keeping watch.

Spark watched with an upset expression. He looked up at Beacon. "We have to do something, right? They can't just take stuff from these people." He whispered. 

Ellipse immediately shook his head. "No, they have weapons! More weapons then we have." He said, and Cat nodded vigorously in agreement. 

Beacon waved his hand to quiet them down. "Shh," He softly said, pulling them close in a protective manner. 

"Hey, Boss." One thug called, pointing her blaster towards a frightened looking vendor. "This guy didn't pay up."

Teivel looked over and smirked, walking towards the booth. "No tax this week again, ey?" He asked, pulling a vibroblade off of his belt and twirling it between his fingers.

"N-no, Sir," The vendor said, his voice trembling. "But I promise that next week I'll pay double, Teivel." 

"That was your excuse last week," Teivel snarled, lunging forwards and placing the blade against the vendor's neck. "This time I'm not feeling so merciful."

Beacon gasped softly, immediatly feeling the urge to intervine. "Stay here," He whispered to the cadets before stepping towards Teivel.

Spark went to follow, but Cat grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The three watched, staying quiet.

"Let him go," Beacon commanded. As he stepped forward, the other thugs pointed their weapons at him. 

Teivel paused and slowly released the shaken vendor, turning around and facing Beacon. He stared him down, observing in silence. Finally, he spoke. "This guy thinks he's a hero, ey?" Teivel said, smirking in amusement. "Standing up to me to save a hapless victim in danger." He chuckled mockingly.

Beacon stood his ground, staring Teivel in the eyes. "Why are you taking from these people?" He asked. "You have no right to do that."

Teivel stepped in front of Beacon, looming over him with a threatening glare. "A clone trooper?" He mused in surprise, then started to laugh. "Look, pal. The clone wars is over. I don't know if you realize, but there is no more republic to fight for." He reached out and lay a hand on Beacon's shoulder with an overly tight grip.

"Listen." Beacon pushed his hand away and glared at Teivel. "All I'm asking is that you leave these people alone," He said.

Teivel's eyes flashed as he stepped back, looking angered. "You think it's that easy to get rid of me?" He scoffed. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not leaving anyone alone!" Teivel raised his vibroblade and swung it down to Beacon's chest.

Beacon gasped and dodged out of the way just in time to avoid the blow. He circled around to Teivel's back, trying to get out of his line of sight.  Teivel spun around and tried to stab at him again, missing once more.

Beacon felt a firm hand pull him out of the way, pushing him to the side. He lost balance and fell to the ground, seeing a hooded figure standing in front of him as he fell. 

The mystery person had a hood pulled over his face hiding most of his features. "Collect your taxes and get out of here, Teivel." The person spoke, his voice sounding very familiar to Beacon. He sat up and gasped in realization. The person had to be a clone. 

Ellipse ran over to Beacon's side, followed by an excited looking Spark, and a nervous looking Cat. 

"That was so cool!" Spark gasped. "You totally won that fight- you dodged out of the way just in time!"

"No- that was so dangerous-" Cat interjected.

"It was awesome-"

"He could have gotten hurt-"

"Oh, stop being such a scaredy-cat-"

Beacon raised a finger to his lips to quiet them down. "Knock it off, Spark. It wasn't a fight. And I'm fine, Cat." He looked back towards the mystery person and Teivel.

Teivel was clearly upset at the presence of the person, staring and sheathing his weapon. "As you wish, Commander." He spoke in a mocking and angry tone, backing up towards the speeders. The other thugs followed suite, soon dissappearng in a cloud of dust.

The person watched them leave, then turned to face Beacon. "That was incredibly stupid of you," He immediately scolded, pulling down his hood. He indeed was a clone- and an older one- as wrinkles lined his face and he had grey hairs in his beard. As he noticed the three cadets, he looked surprised and confused, staring at them.

Beacon stood up and stared at the clone in shock. "I knew it! You're a clone!" He said. "That Nautolan guy called you a Commander- was that your rank back in the war?" 

The old clone looked up from the cadets and back to Beacon. "It... was. It's not anymore." He pressed his lips together. "Look, clearly you have never been in town before. You don't ever mess with those guys." He stared at Beacon. "Ever." He reiterated.

Ellipse looked up at the clone curiously. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Stinger," He replied with a soft sigh. 

"Hey, I recognize you," Beacon said slowly. "You're Commander Stinger." He smiled. "You were an amazing fighter during the war. Back on Kamino, I'd hear stories of you and the battles you fought in all the time." 

Stinger stared at him as he spoke. "That was a long time ago." He huffed, crossing his arms. "I don't fight anymore. I'm just Stinger now." 

"If you used to be a soilder, can't you go fight those bad guys and get rid of them?" Spark asked.

Stinger looked down at him and frowned. "What? No- I just said I don't fight anymore." He replied.

"Why not?" Cat chimed in.

"Because I-" He was becoming increasingly aggravated. "-Because I don't have a death wish," Stinger answered in exasperation, turning to take his leave. 

"Wait-" Beacon called, and Stinger turned back around. "Thanks for what you did back there," he smiled.

Stinger sighed. "I didn't do it for you." He muttered grumpily, then continued to walk away.

Beacon stopped smiling, watching him go. He looked down to the cadets, resting his hands on both Ellipse's and Cat's head. "He sure was cheerful," he commented, ruffling their hair. 

By now, the marketplace was slowly returning back to normal, the chatter of people beginning once more.

"Come on, you three. Let's go get a meal like we originally planned, yeah?" Beacon smiled, starting to walk back to the vendor he was originally talking to before Teivel showed up.

With those thugs gone, everyone seemed alot happier.