Leave It All Behind

A thorn in the Empire’s side one too many times. A nuisance to the Republic just long enough that it didn’t lift a finger to help even when it knew what was about to happen. Zakuul, dealing with its own issues and unable to aid its ally in its time of need. It was only Inferno Squad’s espionage that had clued them in that the attack was about to happen, and even with that prior warning they… Well, needless to say they weren’t ready when the Imperial battleships came out of hyperspace just beyond Odessen’s atmosphere.

To say all hell broke loose would be an understatement.

Drive-by bombings from overhead, angry Sith, well-trained troopers and snipers and grenadiers. They all struck so fast that the Alliance was left scrambling for a foothold.

Atten’s breaths heaved in his chest and fogged the visor of his helmet; Araa to his left wasn’t doing much better. She’d tossed aside her assault cannon when it ran out of power, clumsily catching one of Atten’s blasters when he threw it her way.

Then there was Deca. Fire in her eyes, saber pike wielded with practiced ease, as she protected the exhausted Commanders with the ferocity of a wild dog.

It still wasn’t enough.

“Deca, fall back,” Atten ordered with wide eyes as he watched the next troop transport land. A new wave, even as their numbers were driven farther and farther into the trees. She didn’t hear. “Deca!”

“Dammit!” She ducked under a swinging lightsaber, shoved the Sith wielding it to send him sprawling, and bolted back to the pair’s side. “What the hell are we going to do?!”

“We need to regroup.”

And because he knew exactly how she could be, Atten grabbed her around the waist, activated his jetpack, and took off—all while she cursed him out and elbowed him halfheartedly in the ribs. He didn’t look back, but he knew his sibling wouldn’t be far behind.

It was only when they landed far away from the fight that he let her go—and she immediately turned around and punched him in the (fully armored) shoulder. “We can’t just let them overrun our planet!” she growled.

With that, Atten and Araa glanced at each other; he was chewing his lip, and though they both wore helmets to hide their faces, he was pretty sure she probably was, too. They had a lot of the same habits, after all.

“What?” Deca’s hands still gripped her deactivated saber pike so tightly her knuckles were pale.

Then her grip loosened. “...Did the scout ships come back?”

“One.” Atten took a long breath. “We… We have a good candidate.”

Her shoulders slumped as he said it, and it broke his heart. “This is our home, Attie.” Where all three of them had been born, and raised, and trained all their lives to protect.

“Not if they destroy everything, kill everyone.” He grimaced at how bluntly Araa put it, but… She was right.

Deca slumped back against the nearest tree as she dragged a hand over her face. “So… Was all of this for nothing?” When her voice cracked, Atten had to bite back his own tears. “Everything our parents did, what they built, what we’ve done now that we’re leading all this. We’re just…going to leave Odessen?”

When Atten pulled off his helmet, it revealed hair that stuck to his sweat-slicked face where it had come loose from its low-hanging tail.

And when he cupped a hand behind Deca’s head to gently bump their foreheads together, she didn’t pull away. “The Empire will destroy all we have, the Republic doesn’t care, the Hutts will take advantage the moment they know we’re weakened, and Zakuul—they’re dealing with civil war, you think they’re worried about us right now? If we want to survive, we need to leave Odessen.”

From the helmet now tucked under his arm, he could hear Araa—who’d stepped away at some point to give the pair some space—giving out the order that made his heart clench. “Odessen, retreat to the bunker. The Sith have us outnumbered.”

“What are we going to do?” Deca’s voice was a hoarse whisper, and in her eyes he swore—for just a moment—that he saw tears brimming before she blinked them away.

“We find a new home and try to build something new for ourselves… Far away from the warring of this galaxy.”