Hi readers,
This one took me a while to edit trying to remove all the 'thats ' 'ands' etc that seemed to clutter it.
The timing might seem a little off but here goes.
Enjoy.
Sued13
CHAPTER Twenty Nine
Treatment Room, GAR Barracks, Coruscant
Ryssa stood watching the HNE live news broadcast, fascinated by the alien looking creature that they had brought back from Malastare. Her and several million other beings on this planet. It was huge, scales and odd looking legs and feet, giving it a clumsy gait.
The Beast defied the laws of nature, as she knew them.
She couldn't understand why anyone would want it here on Coruscant; it was dangerous. Anyone who thought they could tame it, was arrogant beyond belief.
The newscaster announced it had been brought to Coruscant on the orders of the Chancellor.
She questioned his logic, silently to herself; recently it had appeared unsafe to question what he was doing with the war. Accusations were made. There were disappearances. Everywhere you went there were security cams. Sometimes she felt watched all the time, and not in a safe way. Contrary to what she told Kal, sometimes she only felt safe when A'den was back. She had seen his message and was thankful he was on his way back; she would have to make an excursion to the market to stock up.
"Now that", Commented Tod, as he watched the beast being moved, "cannot be a good idea."
He continued to sanitise the gurney whilst watching the news.
"That's an understatement Tod." She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the huge creature dragged from its home, half killed, drugged, then imprisoned and transported to a distant planet all on some politicians whim.
She really must stop these thoughts.
They continued watching the news mesmerised by the beast, as were their patients although they expected more now as they had been called on to help out as the Resolute, which had not been able to drop off some of their injured at Kaliida Shoals; the medical centre was still not up to full capacity after Grievous' attack.
The beast was being imprisoned in an industrial district but Ryssa still felt uneasy; at least it was away from the main residential areas but she wondered what they were going to do with it there.
Experiment?
She checked it's statistics: 97 metres in length with some kind of exoskeleton that was impervious to blaster fire and lightsaber blades. The Resolute had conveyed it from its home on Malastare to Coruscant under armed guard.
"I'm just glad I'm not guarding that." Commented Tod, there were murmured agreements from several of the troopers in the room, who had been on Malastare. They had already started to take some of the overflow from the Resolute, which had meant that she and Tod now had a longer shift.
.
"A'den, are you at home?"
"Cyar'ika, yes." He almost growled into the comlink.
"I'll be late. We've taken some of the injured from the Resolute."
"I'll meet you."
"No, you rest."
"Why? Do you have something special planned for me?" She could almost hear the smile in his voice, "I've just had a shower." His voice had that teasing seductive tone in it, that indicated he was waiting for her and needed her. The vision of him standing with a towel draped over his hips, hair and chest glistening from the shower he had just taken, immediately came to mind. She shook her head; If she continued to think along those lines she wouldn't be able to concentrate. She heard him chuckle as she had gone silent.
"Love you." She whispered.
"I'll see you soon, Cyar'ika."
She cut off the link, glad it was just on audio. She turned to see Tod smiling at her.
"A'den?"
She nodded.
"I can tell by the look on your face that it's him."
She laughed and shook her head, moving onto the next patient.
.
The Treatment Room had calmed down from its previously busy period; she was sure some of its occupants were now just watching the unfolding drama, as the beast had escaped. She fetched a Caf for both of them, seeing groups of troopers and non - Clones watching the beast on any available screen, until they were called away to help with the unfolding crisis; it appeared the beast knew exactly who had arranged its removal and imprisonment, and was now in pursuit of the Chancellor.
She felt a little smug satisfaction in knowing that.
"The 501st were on Malastare, weren't they?" She asked Tod, as she handed him his caf.
"Yup."
"All of them ok."
"Yeah, heard from Coric; the beast was a bit of a surprise, it appeared after a bomb was detonated and it was a bit rough after that. Supplies were erratic. Procurement sucked as usual."
She'd heard that from A'den previously but quickly realised the Nulls and RC's did their own procuring. He'd commed her several times on the way back, with messages, checking on her and was relieved when she replied. She hadn't realised he'd actually been fighting with them there but then he said they'd been struggling and he didn't feel he could leave them. Part of her felt proud that he had done that for his brothers, even though he didn't need to. He could have just left.
The siren made her jump and a cold sweat washed over her, her adrenaline spiked; but this alarm was not for incoming casualties, it was asking for first responders. She exchanged glances with Tod and they both pulled out the medibags from the shelves and headed out to the Medical LAATis. The med droid would have to cope.
This wasn't the first time she had been out as a first responder, the civilian authorities normally dealt with any accidents but there had been bombs and this was unprecedented with hundreds, if not thousands of casualties, so the latest security protocols stated that the GAR would help deal with it. Some of the civilian authorities had a problem with that protocol, thinking that it encroached on their turf, but on the plus side they said they didn't have to deal with the Clones; she had heard that on many occasion, from people who should know better. She felt angry just thinking about it.
Others such as the CSF, Coruscant Security Force, welcomed the help; they were currently liaising with the CSF, who were diverting traffic and identifying where the responders for the rescues and casualties were needed. It was an attack on Galactic City, whichever way you looked at it, even if the Chancellor had brought it on himself.
They just had time to stow the medibags, buckle up, and get her headphones on, as the LAATi rose from the GAR medical speeder bay and headed towards the Senate district and surrounding areas, which was where most of the damage and casualties were situated; the beasts sheer size, when it rampaged through the city had caused severe damage to buildings and civilians were hurt by falling debris. She could already hear blasters and lasers being fired in the distance, muffled by the closed sides of the vehicle. The journey should not take long, being directed by CSF as they were.
"This was one of the most beautiful sounds you could hear at the end of a battle." Commented Tod. "the distinctive sound of the incoming LAATi's, bringing reinforcements, supplies or just to pick you up."
He sounded wistful.
"Do you miss being in the field?" Asked Ryssa, then mentally kicked herself for asking a stupid question.
"Yes and No. I miss my brothers, I miss being in battle; it was what I was bred for but not their injuries."
She nodded, she could understand that.
"If you ever want to talk; I'm always here."
Tod gave her a funny look, almost as if he was surprised she had offered.
"Thanks."
Ryssa let her head drop back against the hull, her head spinning with all the possible permutations of injuries they could face within minutes.
The LAATI suddenly yawed from left to right and up again to avoid speeders heading out of the Senate district and through the slits in the LAATi, she saw falling masonry from the damaged buildings and realised just how bad it was; there could be hundreds of casualties from that type of destruction alone. She heard the expletives coming from the cockpit; the pilots were struggling to get through the traffic chaos on the sky lanes with the panic caused by the damaged buildings. A siren blared deafeningly close to the LAATi, together with blue flashing lights and the flight became smoother for a few minutes, as they had acquired a CSF escort. The pilots voices calmed, losing their previous edge.
She hadn't noticed but her hands were gripping her restraints, her knuckles white; Tod leaned over and squeezed her hand.
"We'll be fine. These are good pilots, some of the best." He reassured her. He'd become more and more confident over the past few months; a few desperate battles had hardened him, so much, that he appreciated the down time in Corrie, and Ryssa. He had no illusions about himself, any longer, but he wasn't going to be like Coric; he liked her well enough, more than enough, as a friend, as another Vod.
She nodded, unable to speak.
They banked suddenly to one side, then the other and back again; they were being shaken around like Tooka dolls and then the LAATi was plunging downwards; Neryssa was holding onto nothing, her hands searched for the restraints again and she hung onto them, her stomach was left way up in the sky lanes, but the restraints were holding and digging in, hard.
Kriff they hurt.
Squeezing her eyes shut, thankful the restraints were still holding, she could hear the barely disguised panic in the pilots voices, as they struggled to regain control of the plunging LAATi, currently hurtling uncontrollably towards the ground, or whatever passed for ground on Coruscant. At the last minute it levelled out but then jerked and bounced, the metal hull gouging a path along the durocrete walkway, before screeching and shuddering to a halt; items that had been stowed away securely broke from their moorings and flew around the LAATi, and then - darkness.
.
The Holonet news showed it all, in great detail, via the droid cameras which had been following the beast since its arrival. The Beast's leg swung out and around, in a deliberate action and hit the LAATi, which spun out of control hitting first a walkway, bouncing towards a building, hitting a wall and then coming to screeching halt at the end of another walkway before another building stopped it. Bouncing several times before finally coming to a standstill. Debris from buildings hit by the beast, rained down everywhere, hitting other buildings, walkways and citizens alike; no one in the Senate District or just outside was safe from the apparent wrath of this creature. The beast headed directly for any building with images of Palpatine on them and destroyed them; the HNE commentator, voice raising an octave, had said that the Jedis lightsabers had no effect on its skin, bouncing off it like it had its own personal shield.
Ordo watched the drama unfold, once again wondering what Palpatine would gain from this; now he strode through to General Zey's office expecting there to be some kind of emergency meeting for the attack on the city, especially as it was centred on the Senate District.
He found Captain Maze carefully sorting through flimzi documents.
"Maze."
"Captain." The alpha ARC acknowledged him.
"General Zey?" He queried.
"With the Council."
"What orders do we have?"
"Orders?"
Was the man being deliberately obtuse?
"The Beast."
"None, the civilian authorities are dealing with most of it except for a request for additional medical help from the GAR. 501st and the Jedi are in pursuit. Medics have been sent out as first responders. Fox and the Coruscant Guard are on currently on duty."
He turned, there was no need for anything else but he wanted to let Kal know the current situation; A'den's girl was a medic in the GAR and he worried about everyone. He would check where she was just to be on the safe side. For Kal.
He turned and left the office, nothing further said.
"And Thank You for all your help Captain." Maze muttered under his breath.
.
Ryssa first heard the sirens, the screams and a background noise of speeders hurtling by, then she opened her eyes, the acrid smoke made them water and she coughed to get it out of her lungs. The coughing caused a stabbing pain in her chest and she struggled to breathe. The lights had turned red.
Her eyes closed again as the world drifted away.
"Ryssa? Ryssa?." She was vaguely aware of a familiar male voice shouting her name; it sounded urgent.
"Den?" She asked, the LAATi was smoke filled, like fog, with little visibility; her eyes stung and she took shallow breaths, trying not to breathe in the smoke.
"No, Tod." His face came towards her and he shone a light into her eyes.
"Ow, that's bright." Her voice surprised her; it sounded braver than she felt.
"Can you move?" He asked; she shook her head.
"Tell me where it hurts."
"All over." The bravado ended there, with a sob.
"Ryssa?" He knew he sounded worried; he was. He could see the durasteel strut jammed across her; she was lucky, six inches to the left and she'd be dead. It had to hurt though and the they needed to get it off her. He'd sent the May Day out on all channels, on repeat but given the chaos that was surrounding them and the fact that the beast appeared to be hunting the Chancellor; he didn't hold out much hope that there would be any rescue soon.
He'd try and distract her, keep her mind off things but she was a medic and she knew what would be happening to her body.
Kriff! I wish Coric was here.
He clambered around her on his knees and found his hand in something wet; he didn't want to look at it but had to.
Bright red blood.
She'd gone quiet. "Ryssa, stay awake. I need to check where you're injured."
Her hand shot out to his, it gripped him hard, stopping him moving.
"Tod, I need to tell you something." He stopped; there was something in her voice that made him look up at her immediately.
"I'm pregnant, five months."
"Aw, Fek." He knew next to nothing about pregnancy; they hadn't covered it in any detail in class training or afterwards.
"Tell me what you can and can't feel."
He could try and take her mind off this.
"Tod, I can't feel my legs…... I'm scared."
He shuffled next to her and put his arm around her shoulder, he wasn't sure if this was right but he had seen it in the holovids. He squeezed, trying to comfort her as best he could but she was shivering.
Kriff, Tod, sort your osik out and help her.
.
Ordo walked back through the corridors, with a purpose, returning salutes to the Commandos passing him; there were a few of Kal's squads back at base for once and a Ordo knew he would be catching up with some of them, even if he commed them most weeks.
He entered the office allocated to the Sargeant.
"Have you seen the HNE newscast, Buir?"
"No son, been catching up."
Ordo would normally have smiled, he knew his father so well.
"Is there something I need to be aware of?"
Ordo flicked the switch for the large screen, and it automatically went to the news channel.
"Maybe Buir, there's been no alert for us but the GAR are involved, specifically the 501st, Coruscant Guard and the Medical Section."
Kal suddenly became aware of the beast wreaking havoc in Galactic City and that one of his alliit could be involved. Part of him couldn't believe it was happening; the way it brushed the LAATi away, it was like some aruetii horror vid.
"Ordo?"
"I'm on it; her ID should show us where she was last." he checked his datapad for details on his brother's woman.
"Osik."
Ordo almost never swore.
.
Tod confirmed the May Day was still being sent out on all channels and bent down to dp another check on Ryssa. He had armoured up before leaving, automatically, and had his HUD on; he followed the strut and could see it was jammed into the floor of the LAATi. He pulled, and again but it wasn't moving. He turned back to Ryssa.
"Arms?"
"Yes, okay."
He moved away to look at the door and see if he could actually open it.
Fek! It's jammed.
"Tod? Where are you?"
"Just here Ryssa. I'm …."
"Don't go. Just stay with me." He could hear her ragged breathing, she was struggling with that now. He had given her some analgesic but he had limited supplies as they had been thrown around the vehicle. "I'm here. Don't worry. Help's coming." He could feel her hand it had clasped around his, in a death grip.
He put his arms around her shoulder again.
He hoped he was right.
He hoped help was coming.