Chapter Text
Erin’s feet pounded against the pavement as she sprinted through the deserted streets of Coruscant. Her lungs burned and her muscles were straining to keep up, but she had no choice. She had to make it to the lower levels before the storm hit, and she was running out of time.
Of course she had picked today of all days to come to the upper levels, hoping that the restaurants would throw out more food before the storm. Not only was she wrong, she was going to be dead in a few hours if she didn’t find a place to stay.
It rained on Coruscant once a year. Once a year, rain fell from the skies, soaking everything and everyone unfortunate enough to be left outside. But it wasn’t the rain that would kill you, it was the cold that came afterward.
She shot a glance at the countdown timer on one of the thousands of billboards. Three minutes. She wasn’t going to reach the elevator in time.
“Think,” she mumbled, spinning around to survey her surroundings. “You can’t go down and you can’t stay here. Think!”
A timer began to tick in her head and the clouds began to thunder overhead. Out of options, she began to bang on the door of every restaurant and store on the street. Each time, the owner shook their head and turned away.
“Get away from here, gutter trash!” one older Ithorian yelled, chasing her away with a broom. “Go back where you belong!”
“I wish I could,” Erin mumbled, catching her breath.
There was one more store that she could check, although she knew their answer would be the same. Hesitantly, she knocked on the door. A young twi’lek answered, frowning when she saw the rags Erin was dressed in. “You should be home, little one.”
Erin tried to give the woman a shy smile. Based on the owner’s wince, it didn’t work. “I need a place to stay during the storm. Can I please come inside?”
The woman’s answer was immediate. “I’m sorry, but there’s no room.” The empty chairs and space behind her would suggest otherwise, but Erin didn’t argue. “Perhaps you can find another place to stay.”
The timer ticked down. Two minutes.
“Perhaps I will.” Erin tugged the hood of her poncho over her face, refusing to let the other woman see her fear.
She stopped on the other side of the street to collect her thoughts. There had to be something that she could do, but she couldn’t come up with any solution. Based on what she saw in the last five minutes, no one was going to help a random kid that showed up unannounced on their doorstep.
She took a shuddering breath before pulling back her shoulders. She had survived everything else Coruscant had thrown at her, and she could survive this. When she looked up, she spotted a small alley. It would have to do.
Erin slipped her backpack off, trudging wearily down the dingy alley. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw empty barrels and pallets lining the walls. She could work with that.
The overhead speakers crackled to life, a robotic voice coming through loud and clear, “All citizens, please move inside. One minute before the rain begins.”
There was no time to lose. Erin quickly began moving the pallets to make some sort of shelter, throwing her blue tarp over everything. With any luck, that would be enough to keep the rain off of her for the night.
She crawled under the tarp just as the rain began to fall. The little tent held for a few minutes, long enough for Erin to decide it was safe enough for her to bring out her torn blanket. She pushed herself against the wall, curling into a ball to conserve body heat.
Then, the leaks began. Erin tried to plug them with random pieces of debris she had found in the alley, but whenever she stopped one, another appeared. The rain continued to pelt the tarp, tearing it even more, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She ended up soaked, shivering in the cold as a growing puddle began to ooze closer to where she sat.
She was just going to have to ride out the storm. Holding back a shiver, Erin pulled the blanket tighter around her. She could make it. She had to.
-------
Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard sighed for what had to have been the thousandth time that day.
“What is it?” Hound asked, eyebrow raised. “Did Senator Zusk lose his tooka again?” The sergeant was still in his armor, Grizzer sitting happily beside him.
Fox glanced up, rubbing at his eyes. Today was supposed to be easy. The senators were on recess, back on their own planets, and even the chancellor wasn’t being as terrible as usual. But of course his good day couldn’t last. “Someone just called to report a kid out in the storm.”
Hound looked towards the ceiling as thunder rumbled, making the walls around them shudder. “That’s not good. Where are they?”
“You’re not going out there.” Fox’s answer was firm, his face set in a frown.
Hound ignored him in favor of slipping on his bucket and grabbing Grizzer’s harness. “There’s a cadet out there, Fox. I’m going.”
“It’s probably just a lost pet or something. There’s no way that someone would let a kid wander around in this.” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to get soaking wet, and I won’t save you when Stitches gets his hands on you.”
“Fox, if there’s a chance that there is a kid out there, I have to check it out.” The sergeant chuckled good-naturedly, “Nat-borns aren’t used to the rain like we are.”
Knowing how stubborn his vod could be, Fox just sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Fine, but I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ when you end up getting the sniffles.”
Hound laughed, Grizzer wiggling his butt happily beside his partner. “Haven’t you heard Senator Burtoni? We’re clone troopers, we don’t get the sniffles. Where is the kid?”
“Level 13, the market district,” Fox said, nodding towards the door with a fond sigh. “The sooner you leave the sooner you get back.” Before the door closed, the commander shouted, “And Grizzer isn’t coming into the barracks wet!”
Hound ignored his commander, letting the door shut behind him. Scratching Grizzer behind his collar, he said, “Don’t worry, bud, I’m not gonna make you stay in the kennel tonight. Fox’ll get over it.” He straightened, clicking an order to his partner. “Now let’s go find that kid.”
Coruscant rain was nothing like Kamino, but it was still miserable. And cold. Very, very cold. “I hope Fox was right,” Hound said, having to yell for Grizzer to hear him, “no one needs to be out in this.”
He leaned into the wind, fighting to stay upright. Rain began to pelt him harder, making it impossible to see anything past a few feet. The trip to Level 13 was horrible, pieces of trash and unsecured tables flying through the streets, but after a small eternity, he reached the market district.
It took him another hour to search the area, water soaking through his blacks and puddling in his boots. Finally, he found a small alley.
“If the kid’s not here,” he told Grizzer, “we’re going back to base.” The massif shook itself off, which would have been unfortunate if everything around them wasn’t already drenched.
The alley was filled with more trash and junk, forcing the sergeant to be careful as he picked his way through. He didn’t want to add tetanus to the list of things Stitches was going to rant about. Wait. He had a partner who could make this search go a lot faster. Letting go of the massif’s harness, he gestured deeper into the darkness. “Grizzer, search.”
The massif ran out like a shot, sniffing and dismissing each pile of garbage. The sergeant frowned as he realized that the rain might keep Grizzer from finding a scent trail. Then, he fell flat on his face as he tripped over a carton covered by a blue tarp.
Grizzer barked, running back to bump Hound with his nose. “I’m okay, bud,” he said, rubbing his partner’s head. “Let’s get back to the barracks, there’s no one here.”
He got to a knee, looking for the handle on Grizzer’s harness. Which is when he noticed a purple scrap of cloth under the tarp. Hound moved to the edge of the makeshift shelter, hand on his blaster. Lifting it up, he tried to be ready for anything. He wasn’t.
Under the leaking fabric was a girl. Hound could tell she was young, but he was terrible at guessing nat-born ages, so he couldn’t be any more specific. Ragged clothes hung off her shoulder, and she shivered under the purple blanket that had caught his attention. Worst of all, she was soaked, her lips clearly blue, even in the darkness. “Kark.”
He gently shook the girl’s arm, breath catching in his throat as her head lolled to the side. “Kid?” Shaking her harder, he repeated, “Kid, can you hear me?” There was no response.
Hound gathered the girl in his arms, accessing his internal comms. “Fox?” he asked, whistling for Grizzer to follow as he made his way out of the alley.
A few seconds later, Fox’s tired voice came through. A stab of guilt flashed through Hound when he realized he probably just woke the commander up from his first nap in days. “Where are you?”
“The market district. I found the kid.” He debated running, but that was a sure-fire way to fall in this weather, and he had cargo now. “She’s in bad shape.”
“Then take her to the hospital. Her parents are probably worried sick.” Fox yawned. “Not our problem.”
“Fox,” Hound began, hesitating as he wondered what to say, “I don’t think she has parents.”
There was silence on the other end of the comm. “You’re coming here, aren’t you?”
Huffing a laugh, Hound kept moving. “It’s almost like you know me, Commander.”
“I’ll tell Stitches to get ready. What should he expect?” The commander’s tone was all business, soothing Hound’s frayed nerves. Fox could fix anything, even this.
“I think she has hypothermia, and I don’t know if she’s eaten anything in a while.” Hound readjusted his grip, moving deeper into the storm. “She’s not heavy.”
“How old is she?”
The sergeant glanced down, looking into the girl’s face. “Maybe six?” With more confidence, he added, “Twelve standard. She’s about the size of a 6th year cadet.”
Fox hummed, probably sending Stitches a comm. “Okay. Come in through the speeder bay. Stitches and I will be waiting for you.”
“Thanks, ori’vod.”
“Don’t mention it,” the commander said, sounding a little too smug for Hound’s comfort, “because I want you to get looked over by a medic, too. I don’t want you to come down with something we can’t treat.”
Hound groaned, even as he realized that Fox probably had a point. He usually did. It wasn’t like they had the supplies to spare, and who knows what all they’d need to help the kid. If a quick screening would keep him from having to waste medical supplies, it would be worth it. “Fine, but Grizzer is coming, too.”
“I don’t want that mutt in the barracks.”
“You know you love him and his cuddles.” Grizzer wagged his butt as they kept walking, happy to hear the word ‘cuddling’ in any conversation.
Fox growled, “No wet massifs in the barracks. You know the rules.”
“But what if Grizzer got sick? We need to check him, too.” Hound wasn’t whining. Definitely not. Wheedling was totally different.
He could almost see Fox pinching the bridge of his nose. A big sigh echoed through the comm. “If I say no, you’re just going to sneak him in, aren’t you?”
“Me? You’re favorite rule-abiding ARF trooper?”
“Fine,” Fox huffed. He must be really worried if he gave up that easily. “How much longer till you’re back?”
Hound checked the positioning system on his HUD. “Five minutes.”
“We’ll be waiting.”