????: - NO... no... No... You shouldn't... be... here. - Said the mysterious being with a very erratic male voice.

And it was not only that. The calm figure that faced the wampa seemed to have disappeared, and in its place, left an erratic, slightly ill-conceived creature. As if he had undergone an abrupt personality change. Suddenly, the being approached the wampa's corpse and began to skin it without even paying attention to the two small beings who were looking at him somewhat scared.

Tova: - Hey. Are you OK...? -

Li Mu: - Tova, stay back! - He suddenly shouted, seeing how the little girl tried to approach that strange being.

Tova: - But... -

Li Mu: - Stay away... Something... Something isn't right with him. -

And the gossam was right. Upon closer inspection, one could see a complete loss of sanity on the being's part, and indeed, it seemed to be muttering to itself as it sliced ​​through the snow beast's tough flesh. Blood began to ooze from the corpse and splash around, but he didn't seem to care in the slightest, revealing a chilling scene, accompanied by occasional screams that seemed to have no coherence.

Still, Tova decided to get closer despite the gossam's warnings, who could barely stand up after the heavy blow he received when he was thrown against the wall. The girl took one step at a time, very cautiously and silently, like a hunter approaching a dangerous beast. He got so close that a trickle of blood spattered the blue fur on his face, making his frightened heart race even more, especially as he watched the sharp knife tear through the creature's bloody flesh.

Tova: - Thank you very much, for... saving... us. - She said timidly, although the being didn't seem to have heard, and kept muttering things that Tova couldn't hear. - Could you... could you help us? - But there was no answer.

The strange being, now that Tova had identified herself as a human thanks to the fact that she could see her hands while she was disemboweling the beast, seemed not to care in the least what the little girl was saying to her. Li Mu approached to try to convince her to leave him alone, claiming that he was crazy or someone dangerous, but the girl had another idea in mind.

Tova: - Please, sir. Could you help us? - He said now with an even sadder voice. - We do not know where we are and we have separated from our friends. We just want to go back to them. We just want to go back to our home. -

Hearing her words, the man slashed deep into the wampa's corpse, but then he froze, as if his mind had left his body. Both the girl and the gossam stood expectantly, though Li Mu had his finger on the trigger, ready for any unexpected reaction. Then the man spoke.

????: - Home? - He said with a weak and afflicted voice.

Tova: - Si... Home. -

????: - Home? - He repeated, leaving the other two baffled. - What is home? Where is home? -

The man raised his head, somewhat bewildered, like a child trying to discover a great truth. Neither Tova nor Li Mu could believe their eyes. The wampa skin parted, allowing them to see a face exactly like Boil's. It was a clone. What was it doing there? And more important. Who was?

Tova: - Home is... that place where you live. - She said innocently.

Clone: ​​- So I... live in the ice caves. So... is that home? -

Tova: - Well.... - She said something doubtful. - Home is where you always want to be. -

Clone: ​​- "Where you always want to be." -

Tova: - Tell me. Do you have a home? -

The clone looked up again, doubtful whether to respond to the girl. It seemed that his memories were not very clear, or that his mind had deep gaps. Perhaps the product of some injury, or some blow, or something else that tormented his head.

Clone: ​​- I... I don't know. -

Tova: - That's sad. -

Clone: ​​- What is sad? -

Tova: - I know what it's like to be homeless. I know what it's like to be alone. -

Clone: ​​- I will always be alone. Doesn't that make me have a home? - The little girl didn't know what to answer, so she tried something else.

Tova: - What is your name? - The clone was thoughtful.

Clone: ​​- Name?... I don't remember... Just... number... A code... CC-5052. That is my name? -

Tova: - No. A name is different. I am Tova, and he is Li Mu. - He said while pointing to the gossam.

Li Mu: - Hello. - He said very pessimistic. - Hey, clone. Do you know how to get out of here? - He said after losing patience.

Clone: ​​- Clone? What is a clone? -

Tova: - You seriously don't remember? -

The clone went blank for a few seconds, as if a blackout flooded his mind. He had the feeling that he knew the answer to his questions, but for some reason, he didn't remember them. Then a severe headache numbed the right side of his brain. The clone didn't know what it was, but it was so intense that he had to bend his torso and stick his skull against the snow to try to assuage the pain, but to no avail. A series of memories bombarded her mind, a series of strange memories.

The clone saw himself in front of hundreds of thousands of men in white armor. Men that the word "clone" made repeat over and over again. He remembered part of the war and past traumas. The loss, the pain, the anger, the despair. They all returned to her mind at once, or simply reemerged from the mental prison in which she had hidden them. Something happened, something that caused him to lose part of his memory, but he couldn't remember what it was. But at least the pain was beginning to lessen slightly.

Clone: ​​- What was all that? That...? Oh no. The war... The war... Felucia. What happened to the war? -

Li Mu: - The war ended five years ago. At least your war. Many things have changed since then. -

Clone: ​​- No... I couldn't be. I have to... I have to get out... I have to find my boys. -

The clone rose to its feet, but lost its balance again, after another pounding headache. And if it hadn't been for Tova, who did her best to support him, he would have fallen to his knees on the ground.

Tova: - What is happening to him? -

Clone: ​​- My head... I feel like it wants to... explode. -

Li Mu: - It must be the inhibitor chip. It sure hasn't been removed. -

Clone: ​​- What... what is that? -

Li Mu: - A piece of metal that you have on your head. - Then the gossam saw a golden opportunity. - We can pick it up at the camp, but we don't know how to get there. If there was someone capable of guiding us through these cracks? -

Clone: ​​- I... I do. Just... get that thing off me... I feel like my brain is cooking. - And it wasn't a lie. It seemed that his chip did not work quite right, and was responsible for all his mental ailments.

Li Mu: - We must go south. How far do these caverns take us? -

Clone: ​​- A path... to the... the great peaks... three of them. -

Li Mu: - You must refer to the mountain range. That's very close to the shelter. -

Tova: - Really? Can you guide us? -

Clone: ​​- Yes... let's go... let's go... - He said with a lot of pain.

The clone knew the passages perfectly, and it was not for less, since it seemed to have been living in those frozen passages for at least five years. Eventually he was able to tolerate the pain, and was able to fend for himself, although he seemed to be very distracted trying to understand all those visions or memories he suddenly received. There was a lot I didn't understand. What happened to his brothers? Why was he alone? What did the gossam mean that his war had ended? And the most important. Who was he?

To the other two, the clone was a mystery. She couldn't determine anything about him, only that he was carrying a DC-15A blaster, and that under the wampa skin they used to protect themselves from the cold, he still wore his white armor with gold patterns. Or at least they could see them through the protectors on their forearms and their boots, which the animal skin did not cover. He also had an exaggerated bulge on one side, perhaps his helmet, which he didn't seem to be wearing since wampa fur was warmer. Apart from that, they could not know anything else, since the clone's face did not have any distinguishing marks, except for a bushy black beard, a product of carelessness and lack of hygiene during all that time.

After long hours of walking, they managed to see the exit from the cavern, which overlooked a mountainous system in the south of the planet, just as the clone had said. In fact, Li Mu was able to reconnoiter the terrain perfectly, and had an idea of ​​where the shelter was. But when the clone was engulfed in the jungle of giant mushrooms, it again triggered another wave of memories that bombarded his head violently.

Other memories of the war, and the memories of a being he seemed to obey unconditionally, he couldn't remember his shape, his face or his name, but he knew it was his superior. Someone he greatly admired. Who was that being? Why did he get the impression that he was someone very important? Why couldn't he remember anything about it? But he had little time to think, for a violent explosion shook the earth.

Tova: - What is happening? -

The gossam approached the ridge, and using his binoculars he could see the crossed blaster of a battle in the distance. Above the giant mushrooms five, no, six AT-ST walkers could be seen opening fire on the positions near the shelter. Even so, it seemed that they could not advance much, because a force that they could not see was resisting them. Surely they were the resistance along with Icarus and the rest.

Li Mu: - It's the Village. You are under attack. We must hurry up. - He said very worried. - Hey you. Can you help us? - He asked the clone.

Clone: ​​- I... I... I don't know... not if... -

The clone was very doubtful, as if an irrational fear invaded him. He looked back, towards the ridge that led into the frozen caverns, and a strong impulse told him to run away and leave everything behind. Let him run and not turn around under any circumstances. Then a sweet voice brought him back to reality.

Tova: - Please sir. help us. Our friends are in trouble. - He said with his innocent voice.

The clone looked at her scared, because he didn't know what to do. Going with them would mean leaving the safety of his ice prison, and facing his past again, no matter how painful it had been. He hesitated, he hesitated for a long time, but the sad look of Tova's huge black eyes was something that no good-hearted being could resist.

Clone: ​​- Very well... I... I'll go... with you. - He said still doubtful.

Suddenly, the clone removed the skin that covered his body, revealing his white armor with gold patterns. Over his left shoulder he wore a paldruon (pauldron) and a kama over his waist reaching to his knees, both brown in color. His face 2 helmet was strapped to his shoulder, dangling on a long strap that he undid to grab it. He took the helmet in his hand and looked at it for a few seconds, while endless memories bombarded his mind, remembering painful and sad moments, although some weren't so bad.

And after a long sigh, he slowly placed the helmet on his head.

Clone: ​​- Very well. Let's do this. -