Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Disclaimer/Summary: See Chapter One

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five - The Package

Mel's feelings were in direct conflict a week later. Of course she still missed Mark terribly, but this was only made worse by the fact that she couldn't confide her feelings in anyone. So, when Joaquin Briggand cornered her and asked what was wrong, she was ready to talk, enough though she knew she shouldn't.

She was sitting in the worker rec room watching some pointless holovid when the young doctor suddenly came up and sat down beside her. "Mel," he said, "we have to talk."

The urgent undertone in his voice made her freeze. She clicked off the holoprojecter and turned to him, a questioning look on her face. "What's wrong, Joaquin?"

"Well, it's you, actually," he said. He looked at her curiously. "You know, I wasn't sure how to say this before, but you've been acting differently lately, moping around and you've hardly talked to me at all in days. I was just wondering if something was wrong." He took a deep breath. "Are you all right, Mel?" he asked, voice thick with concern.

As much as she wanted to tell him, Mel wasn't sure she was ready to discuss her relationship to Mark with Joaquin. It wasn't that she was afraid he would tell a superior; he was trustworthy as far as she was concerned. For a moment the thought flicked through her mind that he would be jealous, but just as quickly it was gone. She was pretty sure the doctor didn't feel anything for her; they were just friends, after all. Finally, she decided to take the plunge.

"I'm missing someone, Joaquin," she said cryptically.

"Who?" he asked, eyes sparking with curiosity.

"Mark," the young nurse answered matter-of-factly.

A mask of confusion dropped down over the doctor's face. "Mark? Who's that?"

She sighed deeply before continuing. "He's the clone trooper that left yesterday, Joaquin, the one who's been in the residents' building for the past few days." She looked down, then quickly back up at him, taking a deep breath. "I named him Mark."

"Mel - "

But she cut him off. "Wait just a minute. There's something else." She paused, still not entirely sure that she wanted to confess to him what had happened... But she had to. "We fell in love, Joaquin."

For a moment he just sat there staring at her, unable to speak, from surprise or rage the nurse couldn't tell. When he finally spoke, his tone was underlain with hurt and disappointment. "Mel, I never would have taken you as the kind to break such strict rules."

Mel avoided meeting his eyes. "I know," she whispered. "I shouldn't have. I - " She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

The young doctor shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you that this is okay, but I do want you to know that I understand. And because I know how you feel, I'm not going to tell anyone."

She looked up at him, surprised. "You're not? But I broke my vow. I deserve - "

Joaquin stopped her with another shake of his head. "Some may think that you deserve a demotion, but I would beg to differ. I won't tell, but I do want you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "Melalaiya, you need to break this off right now, before it's too late."

The nurse's eyes flashed. "Joaquin, you know I can't do that."

"Mel, I know what you're thinking, but consider this, too: What if 'Mark' doesn't come back from the war? I'm assuming that is your plan, after all."

"Don't talk like that," Mel said, her voice trembling. "He will come back." She took a deep breath, and, voice level, repeated, "Mark will come back. He promised to find me after the war is over."

"Think of this, Mel. What if he doesn't return to you. What if he finds another girl on another planet and forgets about you? It could happen, admit it. You have to think about these things, Mel. You two should have discussed this long before he left."

Mel just sat there for a moment, feeling empty. Then, abruptly, she stood. "How can you say such things?" she whispered bitterly.

Joaquin gestured quickly. "Mel, sit down, someone will hear!"

"No!" she cried. "Listen to me. Mark will not do any of these things. He will return to me after the war. He loves me, and I love him. There's nothing you can say that will change that!" Then she turned on her heal and calmly strode from the room, leaving the handsome young doctor to stare open-mouthed after her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, half a hemisphere away, Mark and his battalion were crouched in the deeps shadows of another remote Kakashnan forest, when suddenly his commlink signaled. He touched the receive button and a elderly, male voice floated out of the tiny speaker. It sounded strangely familiar, even though the clone knew that he had never heard it before. "Execute Order Sixty-Six," it said.

Mark had no idea what that meant, but he didn't like the eerie sensation that began to stir deep in his gut.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was hours later when Mel was working with one of her current patients when she heard that persistent beeping that meant someone was at the med center door. She moved to answer it, but was intercepted by another young medic named Kyra, who gave her a polite look that said, "I'll get it; you go back to your work."

Thinking nothing of it, Mel went back to checking her patient's vital signs. Minutes later, Kyra returned, carrying a box. From it came a faint ticking sound, but Mel quickly dismissed it. Most likely it was the new chrono for the men's bunk building; the trio of newbies that had arrived two months ago had recently broken it while trying to play hoverball inside the building.

After finishing with the patient, Mel was heading for the window to deposit her tools, when Kyra, who was sitting at the commdesk in the center of the room with the package beside her, pulled her aside. When Mel was standing before the desk, the other nurse asked in a nervous whisper, "Mel, do you know what this is?" She motioned to the package.

Mel was suddenly confused. "Isn't it the new chrono for the men's bunk room?"

Kyra shook her head. "No. It was delivered by a clone trooper."

A bust of hope flared in Mel's chest for a moment, but withered and died just as quickly. If Mark had been there, he would have found a way to see her. "Really."

"Yeah. I have no idea what it could be." She hesitated. "But that ticking is making me nervous."

"Yes," Mel agreed, "but couldn't the clone have just delivered it if the transport that brought it couldn't make it this far into the forest?"

"I suppose," Kyra said doubtfully. "But it's unlikely."

"Well, why don't you open it and see?" Mel suggested.

"Okay," Kyra replied, reaching for the box. But just before her fingers brushed it, the comm signaled. She sighed and turned, picking up the receiver. "Konami Military Hospital Base, Nurse Kyra Plaiton speaking."

While she waited for Kyra to get finish with her call or transfer it where it needed to go, Mel let her mind wander, thinking back to earlier that morning when she had been talking to Joaquin. I shouldn't have run away from him like that; it was very rude. He's probably really angry at me. After I finish my work I'll have to go apologize to him. Oh, boy...

"No!" Kyra suddenly exclaimed, and Mel whipped her head around to face the other nurse. What Mel saw shocked her. Kyra sat there, open-mouthed, holding the commreciever in her hand, looking utterly horrified.

Mel was filled with concern and a sudden, unnamable fear. What? she mouthed. Kyra didn't even notice. Looking very pale, the desk nurse told whoever was on the phone, "Yes, I'll transfer you to his office right away." She punched a few buttons on the comm console, then hung up the receiver. When she turned back to her friend, Kyra's eyes were filled with fear. "Oh, skies..." she whispered, so softly that Mel could hardly hear her.

"What is it?" Mel asked, her voice shaking, the sparks of concern flaring into a bonfire, burning to know what just happened. "What's wrong?"

Kyra's hands were shaking. The ticking of the package seemed to dominate every other sound in the room. Finally, Kyra looked up at her fellow nurse, and taking a deep breath, began to speak in a trembling voice. "That was Jedi Master Jiyra Mijonoa, on the planet Esther." Kyra shook her head, seeming to gain more control of herself. "I can't believe this. It can't be true."

"What?" Mel nearly shouted.

Kyra sighed and looked up again. "Master Mijonoa said that the clone troopers on Esther have turned on the Republic and taken out most of the troops, Jedi, and their other allies in the war."

Mel shook her head in disbelief. "You're sure this wasn't a joke."

"Who could joke about something like this!" Kyra shouted.

"Okay, okay," Mel said. "This is bad, I know, but you have to calm down. It won't do anyone any good to upset the patients."

"Yeah," Kyra agreed softly. "Do we have any clone trooper patients right now?"

"No," Mel said, "if what the Jedi Master said was true, we'd know by now, I would think..." Trailing off, her eyes drifted to the package, still emitting it's ominous ticking. And suddenly she knew.

"KYRA, GET DOWN!" Mel screamed, diving for the floor.

And that's when the box in front of them exploded in a brilliant flash of white-hot flame.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm not sure if I handled Kyra and Mel's response to learning about Order 66 as well as I could have, but tell me what you think anyway, please.