Essie's Apartment
977 days ABG
The fist in his face woke him, before the thrashing and muffled noises coming from next to him. He'd heard this before. From brothers on Kamino and now from Essie. Another bad dream. He turned over, pinned her down by the biceps and covered her legs with his. She was strong; he had to restrain her to wake her from it and protect himself.
"Essie! Wake up, you're dreaming."
She bucked and kicked against him, still in the midst of her dream.
He pressed down harder, speaking louder, "Essie! Wake up!"
"Nooooo!" She screamed.
Then her eyes flew open. She stared into space, not seeing him.
"Ess—you were dreaming."
Sweat ran down her face, she panted, blinking as she came back to this reality from whatever horror she was experiencing. Her arms curled around him pulling herself to him in an iron grip.
"Same one?" He asked, as his arms slid around her.
Essie nodded. "He was falling."
"Shall we check on him?"
This normally calmed her down.
She nodded again.
They walked silently to Del's bedroom and peeked in. The lights from the city, which never slept, streamed through the window, making abstract shadow images on the walls, giving the room an eerie feel as they moved.
Del was fast asleep, oblivious, snoring gently.
He felt her take a deep breath, hold it and then let it out, slowly, deliberately.
"Better now?"
"Yes—it's just so real…I drop him. It's him falling, not me. Thank you…. for being here."
"If I could be here more often. I would."
"I know."
"Come on back to bed."
They settled down in bed, he curled around her, his chest to her back, his nose in her hair, their hands entwined, wishing he could take those dreams away. But only time would do that.
.
Maze woke again, hearing noises coming from the kitchen; he reached over and Essie was gone, although the space was still warm. He checked the chrono— 03:34. He saw a dim light in the living room and it drew him; he walked towards it. It was reflected out from the kitchen.
Inside Essie was leaning on the counter, head in her hands
"Is Del still okay?" He asked, guessing.
"Yes." She still bent over with her head on the counter.
"You then? I thought you'd gone back to sleep?"
"I did but..."
"Headache?" He concluded, as she lifted her head slowly, eyes wet from tears. It must be bad, pain had been a given when she was fighting. She didn't cry from physical pain readily.
"Yes." She whispered.
"How bad?"
"I can't move my head, without it lancing through me. The painkillers haven't touched it yet."
"How many?"
"Three!" She showed him the container.
"You can't take any more." He warned her.
"I know, that's the limit in one go. It's six hours before I can take another. I just hope it goes."
"At least lie down, you'll get cold here. I'll give you a back rub, that may help."
"Yeah!" She paused, "Only a back rub? The last time…."
"Only a back rub. Those painkillers could knock you out." He held her as they walked slowly back to the bedroom, "I like my women awake and participating when we have sex."
She snorted, "Women, a threesome?"
"Woman." He corrected himself, "Don't give me bloody ideas."
"You don't need me to give you ideas. Binders eh."
"So, you haven't lost your bloody sense of humour."
She dropped down to the bed.
"No! Just my mind!"
He tilted her face up to his.
"No you haven't. This will pass. Now…."
"Your face?" she interrupted, seeing the bruise blossoming in his cheek.
"You always had a good left hook."
"I'm sorry!"
"Now on your stomach."
"You said that before." She replied, as she turned over on the bed.
He didn't answer as he applied pressure with both his hands and rubbed slowly along either side of her back bone to her shoulders, applying a gentle even pressure. He felt her relax. He repeated it.
"Hmmm!" She murmured.
"I think you should see Jab tomorrow. He can scan you, do some other tests. The Doctors may have missed something."
He heard her yawn.
He repeated the massage slowly.
"I'll clear it with the General." He leaned closer. "Ess?"
She was asleep.
He placed a kiss between her shoulder blades and lay down next to her.
.
ARCA Barracks
978 days ABG
Maze escorted Essie through the barracks; he received approval from the General immediately. Maze saw him waiting at the end of the corridor; they had never discussed Essie before, not in detail, not before or after the kidnapping but the General knew about them. He had all but said so.
He thought the other Jedi, her Aunt may have said something.
"Are you sure this is alright? I know he helped with …..Del but …"
"The General is in charge of this section of the SOB. He has agreed this plus you have security clearance to level Qek/Isk because of your work with Senator Skeenah. So there is no problem."
And he'd got a cover story for Support Officer Loea if needed but she was off duty today —personal day.
"Ms Devro." The General greeted her.
"Thank you for this General."
"I certainly hope we can help you with these headaches. I have been a friend of your Aunt's for years although I understand you didn't know her until recently."
"Er no. I do understand why and that she took a risk, both of you did, helping us when you did. Thank you."
"We'd be poor excuses for Jedi if we didn't."
Essie felt a little more at ease with him now.
"I'll leave you with Jab and the Captain." Turning to Maze, he continued, "I won't need you any more today Maze. Your time is your own."
He gave a little bow, "Ms Devro." Then he left.
"So Essie, when do you get these headaches?" Jab asked.
"Evenings!" Said Maze.
"Mornings!" Replied Essie, at the same time.
Jab looked from one to the other.
"I was talking to Essie." He glared at Maze.
"It varies. Sometimes they wake me up in the middle of the night."
"I may ask you to keep a diary of what you were doing just prior to the onset of the headache."
Maze raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a problem for you, Captain?"
"No!"
"Good!"
He turned to Essie.
"Now jump up and we'll get some scans done."
She climbed up onto the gurney and lay down.
"Ideally we would do a Level 5 atomic scan but they're frowned on at the moment and the equipment's been removed. Some problem with them. Don't know what but we've been told not to use them."
Maze touched his arm, preventing him from going further. "Nothing to hurt her you hear."
Jab rolled his eyes before setting his scanner on the highest setting and passing it over and around her head, several times.
"Hmm!" He looked at the result. "That looks okay."
"We'll take some bloods."
Essie smiled at him before rolling her sleeve up; she had been through all this before and wasn't optimistic but if he found something that helped, it would be worth it.
.
Maze was surprised to see Officer Loea sitting at her station.
"Officer Loea, I thought you were on a personal day, is there a problem?"
"Captain Maze. I was checking on what happened to the woman who was following me….."
"Yes?" he interrupted.
"There's nothing in the system. The Guard haven't done anything with her."
"Its been transferred to the Jedi."
"Jedi?"
"Yes. This section is a Jedi run operation and they have ways of making people talk."
"Oh. I thought…."
"Thought I hadn't taken it seriously?"
"Yes."
"I take all possible security breaches seriously, as does the General."
"Yes Captain."
.
Essie sat on the gurney swinging her legs, waiting for Jab to process the results. Maze had gone to sort out some problem, he didn't say what kind and she didn't ask. She couldn't exactly just wander around the place either.
She heard footsteps, looking up she saw Zey standing at the door, filling the whole doorway; despite being a large man, he looked drained and older than she thought he was, judging by her aunt's age. He carried two mugs of caf.
"Thought you may like one. I've cleared it with Jab." He entered the room.
"Thank you." She took the mug from him, amazed again at the sheer size of him. He was taller than Maze and almost as broad, especially with his cloak.
"How's your son?"
"He's good. Thank you for asking."
He stood silent for a minute pondering something.
"We Jedi don't kidnap children or take them from their parents by force, you know. We never have."
There— he'd said it.
He felt her anxiety rise.
He knew.
"I was brought up to believe that did happen. My birth parents and my adoptive parents all believed that. They worried for me. Took precautions."
"I know."
"I remember them coming for me. There was an altercation between the Jedi and my parents."
"That should not have happened." He replied.
Although some would push if they thought she would be very powerful.
"I apologise."
Essie looked at him over the rim of the mug.
"I accept it."
Zey gave a little bow of his head.
"Your Aunt missed her family. She remembered them. I didn't have one …..that I could remember." He paused trying to find the right words. "When your Aunt came to us, it may also have been handled badly. But if you need any help…."
"I'm fine."
She closed down that conversation.
He drank some more of his caf.
"Your relationship with Maze." He broached another sensitive subject.
Her anxiety rose.
"Is good for him. He deserves something more. They all do."
"Yes. Rights as free men."
He looked at the young woman. He no longer had any argument with that.
"There's nothing in the regulations against your relationship."
"Except they're essentially slaves and don't really have any choice."
I could introduce her to Skirata. They'd get on famously but I don't think I could stand the strain.
"You're right of course, but…"
"General? Let's not argue." She interrupted him. "Thank you again for helping me and my son."
"Anytime!" He replied absently—she was so much like her Aunt.
He took her mug and returned to his office, to the war,
.
"Jab! What have you found?" Maze ambushed him in the lab as he was checking the results.
"Nothing sir. Essie's extremely healthy. Good muscle mass, limited body fat. Ideal for a female of child bearing years. Bloods etc all within normal parameters. She's healthier than many living on Coruscant."
Maze leaned over the screen. "Are you sure you've not missed anything?"
Jab huffed.
"I don't tell you how to run the Ops Room, so you don't tell me how to do the tests. She couldn't be any healthier unless she was a clone."
"Jab. She's in real pain with them. Last night….."
"I'm sorry. I can't find anything physically wrong with her, the only other thing is stress."
"She is worried about the war." pondered Maze.
"Or rather you in the war." Jab contradicted him, "And what's that?" he added pointing to the bruise on his cheek. "You been fighting at Duq's again?"
"No! Essie…."
"Essie's been fighting at Duq's? I thought she had more sense."
"No! She has nightmare's since the kidnapping."
"Ah. We know all about those." he tossed a tube of bacta at him. "Put that on it."
Maze caught it, glaring at him.
"I'll go and give her the news."
"I'm sorry, Essie, I can't find anything wrong with you." Jab frowned at the results.
"Well that's good isn't it?"
"It doesn't explain the headaches unless it's stress."
"Been told that before but don't worry Jab. I know I don't have a serious illness."
"I'll put it on our medic chat board. See if anyone has any ideas. Your name won't be mentioned of course."
"Thank you Jab."
She slid off the gurney. "Does Maze have to escort me out?"
"Someone has to he'll be back here soon."
.
ARCA Barracks
980 days ABG
Maze was in the Ops Room trying to keep away from Support Officer Loea. She appeared to have accepted his explanation about what happened with Essie, no names of course. The Jedi had taken care of her, he said.
He checked the Status Board.
Ion Team was assigned to the 22nd Air Combat Wing. They fought at the Battle of Deko Neimoidia alongside Jedi General Roan Shryne and that had gone well. The General understood his men and they had been reassigned to that Jedi and were heading to Murkhana. He commed Captain Climber, Corellian trained but he wouldn't hold that against him.
"Climber here."
"Good to hear your voice— Sitrep."
"Just disembarked. Everything checks out. The General's a good soldier." He paused, "If you hear anything about Commander Salvo, it's true."
Maze cleared his throat.
"Just warning you old boy!"
"Warning taken. Any shinies with you out there?"
"A few, why?"
"You might want to give them some target practice that's not your backs. They're unprepared from what I've heard."
"Will do, Captain. You warn the General to watch out for the complaints."
"Understood! Good luck! Out!"
Omega was on Haargab, in a stalemate situation and he was still concerned about the reports they were making regarding some of the troopers who were fighting with them.
Inadequate training, no battle simulation training, only flash training on firing weapons. What were the bloody Kaminoans thinking? He shook his head, more men sent out much too young.
He studied the logistics again and frowned, more troops had been sent there and Delta and Vevut squads.
"The base is bloody growing and for what?"
He could not fathom why they were even there. It had no stretgic or commercial importance. They had just been ordered there. He had to agree with General Tur-Mukhan when she bent Zey's ear about it.
He would mention it to the General again but he was already of the same mind and contacted Windu about it when they requested more commandos.
"Shit!" He wanted to take out his frustration on the datapad but controlled himself.
He was just glad that Skirata wasn't around at the moment, rumour had it that a lot of his time was taken up by his grandson, although he had never seen him. He was interested to see how much like Skirata he looked; not a lot, he thought and snorted.
Maze tapped on his datapad, scheduling his surveillance checks for tonight before he left. He'd updated the search parameters for any anomalies.
He hoped to be able to get away tonight to see Essie. He was still worried about those headaches and the more he saw of her the more he missed her. She always seemed to understand how he was feeling, and listened to his complaints, which invariably seemed less important after she had listened to him.
He checked the duty roster, they were up to speed.
Battalions currently on Coruscant - the big guns. 501st. He smiled and he might see if he could drag Rex out for a quick one. 212th and 104th.
He'd had no contact from Stone recently. He wanted to check in with him, especially given what he suspected Skirata was up to.
Pushing himself away from his desk, he wondered if he was making work for himself?
A couple of hours later and he had completed his self allocated tasks, when an urgent notification came through.
Attempted assassination on the Chancellor.
By a clone!
All hell had broken out. The information was sketchy but it would appear it was a rogue clone who had gone after the Chancellor, after being on Kamino with another clone who had gone rogue and since died.
Maze had got more questions than answers at the moment but the Jedi were onto it. Shaak Ti was after him initially but he had escaped and now the Guard were searching everywhere for him. He pondered if he ought to offer his services to Stone but decided against it.
He commed Essie.
"Hi." Her voice was good to hear, as always "You can't come over." She said before he had a chance to explain.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. It's your job, it's what you have to do. I assume it's because of what happened to the Chancellor."
He didn't answer. If he didn't answer, that confirmed it.
"I thought so, take care."
"You too!"
He closed off his com returning to the Ops room.
.
982 Days ABG
Maze was catching up on reports, highlighting any potential areas he needed to continue to keep an eye on. He had read the report on Clone trooper Fives; it was a mess from beginning to end. A virus in the inhibitor chips. This was the first he heard of those chips.
It stank.
He threw the datapad back on the table.
Skywalker and Rex were there at the end.
And Fox!
He couldn't believe what he was reading.
"Why the fuck wasn't the blaster on stun? Shiny error!"
Zey had said he could roster off early; he was still at the Council debating these chips and what to do next.
Maze rubbed the side of his head. Did he have one? He checked Jab was on duty and headed to Med Bay.
.
"Captain?"
"Jab— these chips….."
"ARCs and Commandos don't have them. They were only from first generation."
"You?"
"Yes, me. We're all being checked."
"Good!"
"Is that all?"
"Yes…..thank you for checking over Essie."
"No problem. Anytime."
.
His com disturbed him, as he walked back to the Ops Room.
"Lieutenant Prudii?"
"Captain, I'm sending you some Intel on Abafar."
"Abafar. Thought that was all but played out."
"Remember D-squad?"
Maze grunted he didn't have time for this. "Yes. They reported a clone survivor CC5579 but he perished in an explosion."
"Lieutenant Kom'rk did a routine scan of the planet and 5579's ID popped up. If we can find him, so can the CIS. Permission to detour and pick him up?"
That's a first, thought Maze, a Null asking his permission.
"Granted! Maze out!"
He'd probably already picked him up and they were in a bar somewhere, sipping ales.
.
Republic TIV.
in hyperspace enroute from Abafar.
Prudii put down the com, Maze was as joyful as ever, but Kal'buir had said to keep on Maze's good side. But there was no way that he was going to leave a brother on that osik'la planet to die. So better late than never.
No-one gets left behind.
Prudii sat watching the Commando, sleeping. They'd had to sedate him. He would need extensive Bacta treatment looking at the burns they were still raw and infected. He wasn't surprised given where he'd found him. The Bacta wouldn't help with the scarring but it would prevent further infection, they needed to get back as soon as they could.
He set the navcom and pushed the hyperdrive.
He leant back and watched the stars stream by.
.
Senate Meeting Room
Clone Rights Inquiry
A few hours later.
Essie could not hear herself speak, over the arguments. They had not even let Riyo Chuchi speak, without shouting over her or shouting both of them down. She had never felt such vitriol from these people and was frightened for herself and Riyo; even though she could see both Commanders Fox and Stone at the door.
The insults got worse, the voices raised and then came some threats. She couldn't hear the actual words but Commander Fox had decided enough was enough and the Chairman droid closed the Meeting.
The members continued to argue despite this and Essie was uncertain if Commander Fox would be able to clear the room.
She gathered up her datapad and flimzi notepad, putting them into her case attempting to ignore the continued verbal abuse hurled at them. It would not hurt her, she knew the people hurling the insults meant nothing to her. She and Riyo Chuchi moved away from the table towards the exit.
That was when the jostling began and more Guards had to come in.
They had surrounded her and Chuchi, JarJar Binks was between them and the other members although there were some faces she had never seen before.
Then she saw someone's hand come out and push Representative Chuchi to the floor.
Essie bent next to her; she was on her hands and knees.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. I've faced worse than this."
She pulled her up, and felt someone thump her. It was definitely a thump; Essie knew what one felt like. She swirled around but it was difficult to see who had actually done it. She linked her arm through the Senators, as Commander Fox pushed towards them. There seemed to be even more people outside. She knew Fox was intent on getting the Senator out, that didn't bother her.
Eventually they were all pushed towards an empty ante room, Representative Binks was with them.
Both Commanders stood to attention.
"I think you ladies, and Gentleman should leave by the back entrance, Ma'am." Fox stated, his helmet facing the Representative from Pantora.
"I agree, Commander. We'll follow you." She answered for them all.
They followed Fox through a labyrinth of tunnels and after a few minutes Essie thought she could actually be anywhere but she wouldn't know. Stone followed the rear of the party.
They finally emerged into the light through a nondescript door, which when closed blended into the building. She wasn't sure she could find it again, even now.
Fox escorted Ryio away and Representative Binks left.
"Stone, can I have a word?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"It's Essie."
"I know."
"Please take off your helmet."
He hesitated but then popped off the seal.
"I never thanked you for what you did—the kidnapping."
"It was nothing!"
"You know it wasn't. Not to me. I'll always be grateful."
He inclined his head quickly.
"We never really said goodbye properly, did we?"
"No." His voice and face softened a little.
"The next morning, when you.."
"Interrupted something."
"I was going to say you left before I could talk to you and you didn't interrupt anything."
"It certainly looked like something."
"It wasn't."
"But it is now?"
"Yes. It is now. I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what Essie? It was good while it lasted but we both knew what we had, had run its course."
"Yes. You're right it had."
She tried to work out how he felt, she still liked him but he was just like a blank sheet of flimzi.
"Do you want a ride home?" He offered, "I have a speeder available."
"No, it's okay. I have to pick up Del from the nursery. I'll get the EasyRide."
"Alright. Be careful!"
"I will."
She rubbed her arm and watched as he strode away; it was beginning to throb.
.