Vode An arc

Med Unit

Rex saw them as he walked into the medbay, his helmet under his arm. They were sitting on her bed, she cross-legged with her chin in her hands and Chopper in a patient's soft clothing sitting on the edge of her bed with one leg hooked on the lower bar. He was reaching down to the pile of armor between them. Rex paused as he noticed Chopper wasn't wearing his ubiquitous gloves as he handed a curved piece, one of the lames that went over the back of the hand, to the commander. Chopper seemed different, less taciturn. Coric had told Rex there had been only the briefish flash of fear in his eyes when Chopper had been told the Resolute had rushed to Kamino to forestall a CIS attack.

"I guess they were too busy for me," he has said then closed his eyes and slept.

He'd gotten a firm, half-smile on his lips when Echo and Fives had told him about their part in the Kamino defense and Captain Rex authorizing ARC training.

"You'll do good." Chopper had nodded, "be the best in class."

Ahsoka held the piece in her hand – backwards – and Chopper reached with those scarred hands, turned it around and drew her attention to the edge.

Something had happened in that frozen cave; something had taken Chopper from brittle tenseness to tempered hardness; from angry self-hatred to … something else that Rex couldn't name yet. It couldn't have been almost dying. Chopper had done that too many times.

Ahsoka noticed him first, of course, and waved him over with a smile. Chopper pushed himself off the bed into attention, then parade rest at Rex's soft nod. He was definitely less suspicious, less taciturn, more relaxed; his face not set in stony anger. For Chopper, that was a good thing.

Rex was glad to see that bright face and easy smile of the commander's. So much better than when they'd been found and brought back, pale with their faces waxy blue, their body temperatures barely registering. They'd both been barely alive and only Chopper's trick with his warmsuit had saved the smaller commander.

He didn't want to talk to Chopper about this but it was his duty. Rex glanced down at the flimsi in his hand.

Ahsoka spoke first. "Rex, show me the articulation of your knee".

Surprised, he did so, putting one foot on the bar at the foot of the bed and twisting so she could see the back of his knee. Her hands picked up a piece of armor - a vambrace. She frowned as she recognized it was the wrong piece and chose another piece, holding it next to Rex's greave.

"I can't see it Chopper – please show me."

The trooper paused, then took the piece from her hand and turned it a fraction.

"Here." His fingers touched the greave.

Her fingers rubbed the plastoid in her hands then lightly touched the same place in Rex's greave. Chopper's was higher, regulation. Rex laughed slightly and slipped his finger to the back of his greave to show her the extra room trimming allowed.

"Modified," he admitted. "Otherwise it pinches. Chopper's the only non-rookie who hasn't trimmed his."

Chopper slightly opened his lips, and then closed them with a guarded look but they both looked at him expectantly.

"Demerits," he said with a hard voice. "I had them trimmed until I was assigned to the sergeant." They knew he meant to Slick. Rex nodded softly, he'd known that. He'd read every notation Slick had given his men, Chopper included, and had queried the other men in Slick's squad. What he'd heard from Jester had made him ill. He knew he hadn't heard it all and suspected he hadn't heard the worst. It had been a revealing exercise in mind control and Chopper had received the brunt of it.

The commander turned to him, a frown on her face. "Captain..."

"It's not in my authority to tell a man he can break regulation." He said mildly. Her brows drew together and she looked at Rex, calculating. Then she turned to Chopper. "Modify it to how you need it. If anyone speaks to you about it, have them see me." She ordered and Rex's lips quirked into a half-smile. It wasn't in her authority either but she'd just told them she'd be responsible.

"Yes, sir." Chopper snapped to attention, then again to parade rest. He looked at Rex then the commander. "Should I leave?"

Rex sighed. "Actually, no. I've come to speak to you." Ahsoka made to leave, but Rex's voice caught her. "Officially."

"Sir, yes sir," snapped Chopper all wary tenseness now; his eyes no longer looking at them, glazing to some distant point. Almost the old Chopper.

"I've received a report that you threatened one of Admiral Yularen's contract crew." Rex was curious. The report hadn't sounded like Chopper. If Chopper had been as angry as the report seemed to indicate Rex suspected there wouldn't have been a report, merely a dead man. And the actions were loud and threatening, hardly Chopper's style. "The quartermaster in charge of supplies."

"Sir, yes sir." Chopper's face frowned then settled into habitual stony resignation.

"Care to explain?" Rex raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Ahsoka's face. She was dismayed.

"Yes sir." Chopper stared straight ahead, but not as focused in the distance and the stoniness left his face. This was new, not the sulky Chopper or a defensive Chopper. He paused and thought out his words before speaking. "I asked CT-21-0408 if being a Jedi precluded the assignment of supplies and was informed not as well as the relevant regulations which I then checked on my own." Chopper licked his lips nervously, obviously not wanting to get Echo in trouble. "I went to supply and informed the individual responsible for providing soldier's supply – particularly warmsuits – that he had not fulfilled his duty. Due to his negligence in not providing a full complement of gear upon her assignment to the 501st, the commander's life had been put in danger."

Chopper fought the impulse to look down in shame. "I then informed the quartermaster of my intention to return should there not be an appropriate warmsuit waiting for the commander no later than she be released from medical and..." Again Chopper paused, searching for the right words, but there were none this time. His voice became more hesitant. "I said I'd wring his scrawny neck."

"Mmm." Rex glanced down at the written report. "In armor?"

Chopper frowned and, shaking his head, gestured to the medical clothing. "In these, sir. Not in armor."

"'Wring his scrawny neck' is the phrase that drew my attention. But that's about the only similarity this report has with what you've just said."

Chopper remained at attention. His eyes went bleak and his face hard, once again the old Chopper.

Ahsoka's looked at Rex in concern. Rex mulled it over in his mind. Having heard it this way made a lot more sense than what the report had said.

"The way I see it, I have two choices. I can let this ride, it becomes common knowledge to Torrant and the man gets 143 more threats to have his neck broken, one captain wanting to use him as target practice as well as one Jedi general angry at someone else endangering his padawan. Or I let it go into official channels and it becomes Admiral Yularen's problem to discipline his own man for negligence and endangering an officer."

Chopper's surprised gratitude shadowed his face quickly but Rex noticed it and understood that Chopper hadn't expected it.

"Official channels I think." Rex nodded as if to himself then turned his face to Ahsoka. "Commander, don't you agree?"

She tilted her head, thinking about it. "I think so, yes." She glanced at Chopper, protective, as always of the men in Torrent Company. "Does it have to go all the way to Admiral Yularen?" She was hoping there'd be no repercussions; there wouldn't, not for Chopper.

Rex smiled slightly. "You don't think I'd deprive the Admiral of the pleasure? He'd use me for target practice. And he," Rex waved his hand towards where they knew the Resolute's main cannons were located, "has bigger guns." Rex paused at Ahsoka's smile then turned to Chopper. "Your punishment will be to ensure the commander understands all functions of her assigned equipment. All of her equipment. Whether or not she uses it."

"Yes, sir." In spite of his stern face, Chopper seemed pleased with the punishment detail.

Rex set the report and his helmet aside, a signal that his presence was no longer official. "What's going here?" he asked, gesturing to the armor. "Relax, trooper." He touched Chopper's shoulder, indicating he should return to what they'd been doing before his arrival; letting him know that Rex had his back. It was obviously a new feeling for Chopper and Rex noted several interesting expressions cross his face in rapid succession.

Chopper had been with Torrent almost half a year now yet, as far as Rex knew, he didn't have any friends. Most of the men accepted him, appreciated his solid presence and his experience; but Chopper kept the distance, not the men. Echo and Fives had declined reassignment to another barracks and Rex's regard for the two men rose. It couldn't be easy living with Chopper and his nightmares, yet both men found it worthwhile. He was almost sorry he'd nominated them for ARC training.

"The commander was unaware of a warmsuit, sir." Chopper spoke as always, tentatively after thinking about his words, "and confused it with a warm pause suit. So when orders came for a warmsuit, she put on her warmest suit." Chopper stopped speaking for a moment, his eyes moving sideways in thought and memory. "It almost cost her life, sir. I thought she might be unaware of other aspects of a trooper's gear and asked if she wanted me to show her."

Ashoka smiled. "There's a lot to learn. But at least now I don't have to say 'those things' and point."

Rex chuckled "Sounds like you've already started on your detail." He turned to Chopper who was waiting. Simply waiting. Rex gestured, open palm at the armor; a silent message to continue.

Chopper picked up the vambraces.

Rex noted Chopper was good at this; explaining in concise terms, adding some of the trooper short talk and showing – drawing a finger along to point out a feature, handing the piece to Ahsoka for her inspection, explaining what to look for. As Chopper picked up his helmet, Rex put his between them as well.

"Point out the differences in trooper and command helmets." He directed. Chopper looked up at him and did so, missing only a few expected points which Rex explained to both of them.

Rex returned the report to General Skywalker for discussion with the Admiral and later heard that the Admiral had, once again, proved you could strip a man's skin without saying a harsh word. It was a skill Rex admired and tried, sometimes successfully, to emulate.

Supply sent up three warmsuits for the commander's inspection in the medical unit and then, one of the supply men to modify a suit down to her size, when they proved too large. All done no later than Commander Tano was release from Medical.

Relax and read, review and enjoy. More coming up later this week as we move into the introduction of Kev...

At this point (as mentioned), we've just passed the episode of ARC troopers.

Laloga's wonderful story about Chopper, 'Better' has also occured sometime between Chapter 21-23. I heartily recommend reading it about now.