Thirty Six

What the fek got into you?

Gem was standing in the kitchen, hands on the basin as he entered. She turned away from him slightly and wiped a cheek quickly with her right hand.

He moved forward slowly and stood next to her, taking in her appearance.

Her lips were swollen and her neck marked along its length with red welts.

He had done that.

Amongst other things.

"Gem," he breathed as he looked at her.

"Did I do something wrong?" She whispered as another tear ran the length of her cheek.

"No, no," he said shaking his head.

She let him pull her into his chest where she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Gem, I don't know what else to say."

She pulled back to look into his eyes. Searching for a clue to his behavior.

"Stay with me tonight?"

He breathed out and shook his head. "I can't," he said. "I'm on duty, I have to be back in the barracks by twenty one hundred."

Gem nodded, suddenly feeling foolish for rushing back to Coruscant.

Rex moved aside and quietly picked up the two steaming mugs of caf and followed her out into the lounge.

"It's only seventeen hundred."

Rex stopped and thought for a second.

"I'll follow you Gem," he said, still holding the mugs.

The caf was cold before either of them remembered it was there to drink.

#

He had met her after the incident with the Zillo beast.

He was on 'search and recovery' patrol.

She had been trapped under a piece of durocrete and he, along with engineers from the 41st worked well into the night to save the trapped civvies.

She was dragged out at oh one hundred hours. He had stayed with her, talking her through the procedures and keeping her company when her nerve faltered.

She was a journalist for the Coruscant Chronicle.

She would often interview and write stories for the populace involving soldiers fighting a war not too many on the planet were interested in.

"How you going down there?" he asked.

"Hanging in, but Stomil has gone all silent. I don't think he's doing too good."

"Probably just asleep, let him rest," Hardcase lied.

So many civilians had been killed that night. Their Captain had told them to 'keep their heads low' and 'watch out for civilian casualties.'

"What's your name?"

"Elin."

"I'm Hardcase. Not as pretty as yours I know," he joked.

"Hardcase," she laughed. "That sounds like trouble."

"Maybe you should interview my Captain," he laughed.

"I hope I get the opportunity."

"You will if I have anything to do with it." He looked around at the men and the hovering larty that had been hooked up to the jagged material holding her captive.

An engineer walked over to where Hardcase lay tentatively on the edge of the wreckage.

"We are going to lift the main piece now. You have to tell her to keep still and hopefully everything will go to plan."

"Elin, can you hear me?"

"Elin."

Nothing.

"ELIN? Can you hear me?"

"Yes," feint in her reply.

"You need to keep still, we're about to lift the bulk off you and then we'll send someone in to extract you."

"Will it be you Hardcase?" She was weak and tired. The loss of blood beginning to take its toll.

Hardcase looked over to the man geared up to rescue whoever was still alive. He shook his head at the five oh first soldier.

"No Elin, I'm not trained to get in there unfortunately. The experts are the engi's who are the best available to get you out safe. I will be here waiting for you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Hardcase scrambled back and sighed as the bird moved in and lifted the enormous piece of durocrete that entrapped the dozen or so Coruscanti underneath.

He held his breath as the noise from the winch was deafening.

She was recovered.

Weak from a venous bleed, Elin was triaged on site and moved onto a repulsorlift stretcher and transported to the awaiting civilian ambulance.

Hardcase hurried to get to her side.

He arrived too late, the doors closing and the ambulance speeding off into the distance.

His promise had been broken.

#

It was weeks later, but she had managed to find him. A typical journalist with tenacious research capabilities, Elin had tracked down Hardcase from the five hundred and first and stood waiting for him to be brought to the main reception area of the GAR.

She was nervous. Wearing plain pants and tunic she had made particular effort to cover the scar that lined her forehead, running vertically to her eyebrow. Her yellow hair swept over the red welt that had yet to heal completely.

"Hardcase, there you are. You have someone waiting for you in reception," he was playing Sambacc with Jesse in the rec room.

He threw his cards in annoyed and stood up.

"Who is it?" he asked the guard wearing red.

He merely shrugged his shoulders and took his spot at the table, placing his helmet on the floor at his feet.

Hardcase reported to the sergeant on duty and was pointed in the direction of the young woman.

"The woman?" he asked again.

"Yes, that's right trooper." The soldier said as his attention was immediately diverted to an incoming comm message.

Hardcase tentatively made his way over to the only woman in the vicinity. He stopped just before her and stood to attention.

"CT – 7693, as requested Ma'am."

"You don't remember me do you?" She smiled knowingly.

"Ma'am?" he questioned.

"Please call me Elin," she stressed.

It then dawned on the trooper who this woman was.

"Elin?" he said, stepping forward slightly.

She saw him for the first time, the man who had kept her company while she was trapped under the wreckage for five hours.

"Nice to finally meet you Hardcase," she said extending her hand. "I never got the chance to say thank you for staying with me that night."

He was dumbstruck. No Coruscanti had ever gone out of their way for a clone in the past.

"Would you let me buy you a caf?"

Hardcase didn't know what to say.

Then his training kicked in.

"I can't leave the barracks Ma'.. Elin," he stared down at his feet.

This is what all the men hated most about being a product, a commodity of the Republic.

"It's OK Hardcase, I have already cleared it with your Captain."

"Ma'am?" he was confused.

"Come on, I know a little cantina just down the road."

#

Hardcase walked back into the barracks. He could barely wait to tell Jesse about his afternoon with the young woman.

"Where you been?" Jesse sounded annoyed as Hardcase practically fell over himself to get to his bunk and sit.

"Remember the woman I told you about under the durocrete?"

"Yeah, so?"

Hardcase then went into detail about his 'date' with the young journalist.

Jesse sat on the edge of his cot.

He listened and laughed while his best friend spoke in detail about the pretty, yellow haired girl called Elin.

#