One
It happened so fast.
One minute they were all laughing and discussing the artificial environment of Coruscant, the next the ship was shuddering and the pilot was yelling to brace themselves for impact.
Then, nothing.
Ever so slowly the light started to squeeze its way in between her eyes. That feeling of light headedness mixed with sheer panic was beginning to build inside her as consciousness nipped at her body. She was numb, no pain. "Am I dead? Father!" Skylar fought hard to open her eyes. They obliged, and the whole world in all its messiness came rushing up to greet her.
.
"What are we doing here again captain?" Hardcase could barely keep still long enough to spill the words out. He was unsettled after their last mission and needed desperately to get some more action in – especially as those tinnies had taken a pot shot at the captain. And for what? Grievous had gotten away and General Kenobi was furious. Poor Commander Cody, he was taking the full brunt of his general's anger unlike the 501st boys. They were given a few days off dirt side while Captain Rex took a dip in Bacta to settle the nerve damage from the shot that almost cost him his life.
"Easy Hardcase, we have been through this a hundred times before," Kix chimed in sensing the captain's growing frustration with the jittery trooper.
"The roots from these plants will help Dr Uthan with her research into some vaccine Palps has her working on." Kix looked around and took in the small moon's surrounds. It was pleasant enough; warm, moist with dense vegetation. Subtropical, he decided. The plant they were looking for had been reported only on a few planets in this system. This was their second drop and so far, they had had little success in locating anything like it.
"I know," Hardcase was on it again, "but we are soldiers, not kriffing botanists!" That earned him a flick across the back of his head from Jesse, "Aw come on," he scowled. "I swear if anyone does that again -"
"Then just shut your trap and get the hint," Jesse added.
Captain Rex sighed and smiled to himself. He wasn't too fussed about the cushy job they had managed to land, even if it was looking for an ochre coloured flower the size of a credit in what seemed like a jungle. He was happy to have some time to think about what had happened on Suleucami after meeting Cut Lawquane and his family. For some reason the chance encounter had made the captain think about after the war, it couldn't last forever, could it? What would he do? He didn't know anything else other than being a captain in the Grand Army of the Republic. He quickly shook his head and re focussed on the mission at hand. Needing to quell the bickering that was becoming a little too loud for comfort he simply stopped moving forward. Kix and Jesse recognised the unspoken order, but Hardcase was still going on when he in inadvertently bumped into the back of Jesse who stumbled into Kix. It was a domino effect and the captain ended it there.
"Listen up. The sooner we locate this plant the sooner we can re-join the general and the commander. We appear to be in a reasonable area. I want us all to break up and move out half a klick. Jesse east, Kix west and Hardcase south."
"Downwind sir?" Hardcase answered.
"Yes," smiled the captain, "so I don't have to smell you."
Kix and Jesse looked at one another and laughed, it wasn't a comment he would usually say.
Their captain had changed, a lot in recent weeks.
"You all have a visual of the plant in your HUD. Report in at half hourly intervals. Move out."
He stretched his neck, it was a good mission, he reminded himself.
.
"I don't need a shower," he scowled. It hadn't been long since the last one, but Hardcase did keep his deece cleaner than his armour and hygiene had never been one of his strong points. A few blinks and he pulled up the image of the plant on his head up display in his helmet.
"Right, let's find this little sucker and bang out," he muttered to himself. "Hardcase checking in, 1100 hours, half a klick out. Nothing to report."
Moving quickly, Hardcase pushed on, finding a small lake, it was beautiful and if had been anyone else, they would have noticed. He bent over and pulled out a scanner from his utility belt.
"Let's see if this stuff is worth drinking," he grumbled as he took a water sample. A green light indicated that the water was good for human consumption, and Hardcase took off his gauntlet and plunged his hand into the cool, blue water to drink. He was startled when he heard a splashing sound. Crouching back and grabbing his rifle he scuttled under some low lying vegetation scanning the area to see what had made the noise.
.
Jesse kept his eyes down, watching the ground beneath his ubiquitous white boots. "This has got to be a waste of time," he thought to himself. Shaking his head he continued to scour the ground for a tiny yellow flower that would mean a trip back to Ground Zero and another chance to see him again. He smiled and with renewed enthusiasm, continued his search.
"Ah, cap, I think I have something you need to see."
Rex knew his medic and he sounded nervous, instinctively he asked, "do we have visitors Kix?"
"That's an affirmative sir,"
"Friendlies?" The rest of the squad stopped and waited for the reply.
"Not sure sir."
"Send through your coordinates," resonated the captain/
Rex made it to Kix double time. He enjoyed the run, helmet off drinking in the fresh air and feeling more alive than he had for a while. This was certainly a beautiful little moon they had been dropped on and the feeling of discovering something more than a botanical specimen for a doctor he had little time for gave him a renewed sense of purpose.
He found Kix crouching over what appeared to be a grave. He slowed immediately as the medic turned and dusted the dirt from his bare hands. Upon looking closer, Rex saw a pilots Phase I helmet atop of the mound. There appeared to be another grave as well. This one adorned with a faded ceremonial sash, one Rex recognised as being from someone with diplomatic importance.
"CT-27-8973 Flight Lieutenant Mav. Assigned to Coruscant."
"Any idea about the other grave?"
"No sir. There has to be survivors though."
"Well then" Rex smiled, "let's get everyone back here, call 'em in."
The team all meet at the makeshift cemetery. Hardcase didn't report anything other than he found water suitable to drink. They studied the mounds of earth and set off down what Rex thought could have been considered a track. Buckets on, Jesse could hear the others walking forward, which always made him feel calm. He liked the methodical rhythm of his brothers breathing and matched it with his own. Each trooper had a way of coping with uncertainty and this was his. Rex held up a closed fist and they all stopped silently.
"Visual?" he asked.
"Affirmative sir." Hardcase had seen what had grabbed the Captains attention. It was fleeting and obviously metallic when the sun had briefly caught it. All four men drew their respective weapons and immediately fell in to patrol mode.
Jesse and Hardcase swung around to the left and Kix stayed on the captains heels as they headed around to the right.
"Let's just see who is there before we barge in for some caf. Spread out at 400 metre intervals and wait until I give the word."
They had found the wreckage.
A small ship with the traditional red stripes that indicated the diplomatic personnel she was transporting. The area immediately around it had been somewhat cleared and a makeshift camp had been established. A pit for a fire was evident but it wasn't military regulation in its appearance. A frown crossed Rex's face, maybe there were no military survivors and this was merely an opportunistic native making the most of the blown out hull for a home. They set up a perimeter around the craft and awaited orders.
Hardcase felt jittery again, it wasn't the mission, just the waiting for the orders to go in, and he desperately needed to pee.
"Need to water the plants sir, won't be a minute."
"Keep your eyes open trooper." Rex scanned the area – nothing had moved for thirty minutes, and he felt confident that they should go in for a closer look. "We'll head in when Hardcase finishes relieving himself."
"You know that could take longer than a minute sir," Jesse said.
"I heard that vod," was the last comment over the comm.
Hardcase stepped a little further into the plants, placed his weapon and helmet on the ground and threw off his right gauntlet. He unbuckled the cod piece of his armour and found the opening of his under suit and sighed with relief when the pressure that had been building up in his bladder was abated. He closed his eyes and lifted his face up to the sun when he heard the cracking of a stick on the ground behind him.
"I said I would only be a minute sir."
"Finish what you are doing and place your hands high where I can see them."
It was a woman's voice, calm and authoritative.
The shock sent his urine onto his DC-15 and Hardcase nearly stumbled over as he tried to insert his member quickly back into its secure hold.
"Fek," was all he could manage as he felt the cold, hard end of a pistol placed against the back of his neck.
"Do anything stupid, and I'll send your head into orbit."
"Yes, Ma'am," was his reply. "There are more of us here, you're outnumbered," he added stupidly.
"I know," she said, "but right now, you're my insurance that your brother's don't get trigger happy. Let's go and get better acquainted shall we?"
Rex, Jesse and Kix were watching the clearing when they saw the distinctive blue and white armour walk through the bushes.
"Hardcase, what in the Force are you doing, I didn't give orders - "
"Captain, he hasn't got his bucket on," Kix interrupted.
"I know you are there, come out where I can see you or I'll blast your brother into the next system on the count of three. One."
The two other troopers alighted from their vantage spots and placed their weapons and helmet's on the ground in front of them. All except the Captain. He looked furious as he threw his helmet down and continued to storm up to Hardcase and the person who was holding him hostage.
"Two," she said, a little shaky.
"Captain, please," Hardcase pleaded.
"Your brains won't be sent to Coruscant Hardcase, especially when there is no power pack in the weapon and the safety locks on."
Hardcase moved forward quickly and the captain stood in front of the protagonist. She looked at him squarely in his eyes and took a swipe at him with the rifle; he dodged it, so she threw it at him, turning to make an escape. He deflected the defunct deece to his left and sprang forward lunging at her heels bringing her to the ground with a thud. She rolled over but he had managed to pin her down quickly by sitting on top of her. She thrashed her arms wildly punching him wherever she could, but he merely blocked each blow with little effort. Finally grabbing both of her arms he held them on the ground above her head and repeated "enough" several times before she capitulated, his menacing face mere millimetres from her own. The others moved in quickly picking up their weapons when she struck the cruellest blow of all.
Instinctively she raised a knee and connected with the area between the soldier's legs, as hard as humanly possible.
"Arghhh," Rex bellowed and momentarily released his grip on her arms.
She made use of the advantage, however small.
"Would now be a good time to interject?" Jesse mentioned, enjoying the show up until this point.
"Nah, the cap has it all under control and it wouldn't look good being beaten by a girl," Hardcase answered.
Rex rolled off to the right and groaned again before he lifted himself and pushed the woman, who had barely scrambled to her feet hard into the ground, grinding her face into the dirt as he pulled her arms behind her so tight she screamed out in pain.
"I said enough," he growled.
She was all out of alternatives, and did what any self-respecting woman would do, she broke down and cried.
"Captain," Kix moved in and put his hand down for him to release his grip. Rex moved back and sat on the ground next to her.
"Gem. Gem, you OK?" There was a quiet, familiar voice coming from the broken ship and they all turned in unison to see their face peering through the hatch at ground level back at them.
