Maze shook his head reeling from the hit from Vos, he wasn't in his armour and it was a glancing blow but it still hurt. He was still a strong man. The Jedi was getting better at fighting without the Force but he had to be. Every time they used the Force, there was the possibility the Inquisitorious would pick it up; especially a trained Jedi; they would shine like a beacon in the night.

Maze wished Essie would not use it so bloody much.

But this was not the time to ponder that. He concentrated on Vos.

"So….Ventress?" He huffed out, "The hairless bloody harpy. Did you really….."

He ducked the foot that nearly took his head off and spun around, hitting the Jedi in the stomach, who took a few steps back.

"So….the rule of no attachment." He continued as they circled each other. "How did that go for you then?"

He dodged the foot again, and rushed him putting all his strength in his shoulder push. Vos threw him but Maze regained his footing immediately and faced him again.

"Essie….you two exchanged vows yet?" Vos came back.

"We haven't. There's no need."

Maze landed a hit on Vos' jaw and he staggered back but not far as he should have, based on the power Maze put into it.

"We agreed on no bloody use of the force."

Vos smiled, "Now, now clone."

"Shab'la Jetii!" Maze cursed, at least he didn't say 'copy', the usual slur.

Vos jabbed at him again and missed, as Maze backed away.

"You're telegraphing your moves, even without the force." Maze explained

"Only to you."

"If you can beat me, you'll beat a stormtrooper any day."

"Even the Purgetroopers?"

"Yes— even those."

Vos' eyes narrowed, "So Essie…..you ever think perhaps, with so many of your brothers around, she tried pastures new, a comparison…."

"Never!" He stormed, heading towards the Jedi, that comment hit a nerve.

Oof— Maze felt the air leave his lungs; he slumped. He'd let his guard down at the thought.

"Is that what Jango taught you?"

"He taught me how to fight and survive." And kill Jedi thought Maze, as he got to his knees, and then stood, using the time to regain his breath.

"How did you feel when you found out you'd been used?"

They circled each other; Maze glaring, Vos grinning.

"I let go of my anger on that score years ago. How did you feel?" Replied Maze.

"Angry—still. It keeps me going."

"It'll kill you, in the end."

They still circled each other.

"More likely an Inquisitor."

"Anyone specific they're after, other than you?"

"There's a few more." Ventured Vos. "Mainly younglings and the untrained, like Essie."

Maze nodded, the thought that someone was specifically after her, panicked him.

"But Vader…..he seems intent on getting Obi…..Kenobi. But I have not felt him in the Force for years."

"Dead?"

"They may have called him the Negotiator but he was without equal…even Skywalker. If anyone was able to survive, it's him."

Maze nodded.

"Another round?" Grinned Vos, changing the subject.

.

Essie stood behind her husband rubbing Bacta into the mottled bruises on his back.

"It's always the same when Vos is here. You train and you come off worse."

"Are you sure?" Maze grinned.

"It looks bad to me."

"I gave as good as I got but he winds me up. He asked if we had exchanged vows again."

"And?"

"I told him no."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He just has that effect on me, oh and he only used the Force twice."

"He's getting better." Essie put the lid back on the Bacta and threw the cloth in the bin.

"Speaking about the Force. Del says to stop trying to get into his head."

"I don't try but sometimes he projects and it's embarrassing." She shook her head at her growing son.

"That's what he says about us, cos we're old."

"We are not old."

"To him we are." Maze smiled, "I told him I was only twenty four. He did some mental arithmetic and then pulled a face saying we were disgusting."

Her husband turned and she felt his hand go to her lower stomach.

"A few more weeks and you'll begin to show. How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

He pressed a kiss to her lips.

"How tired?"

"Pleasantly tired but not dead tired."

He slid a hand under Essie's thighs and lifted her, carrying her to the bed.

"Does this help?"

"A little."

"Looks as if we may be embarrassing our son again tonight?"

Essie giggled, as he laid her on the bed.

.

The clone blinked awake. They'd sedated him again, although he wasn't sure why this time. He couldn't remember what had happened and now, he had a big headache. He looked around, it appeared he was in some kind of small medical facility.

He tried to sit up.

Still shackled. He remembered that.

There was another clone around, a Commando or ARC, by the look of his build. His memory hadn't totally gone despite what he had been using and he desperately needed a drink at the moment. He dropped his head back on the pillow, unaccustomed to the softness.

As he lay, more memories came flooding back, one's he'd desperately tried to forget. He heard the door open. An old fashioned manual one.

"Hi! How are you feeling?"

The young female looked like a medic. That brought back more memories.

"Got a headache!" He grumbled.

"I'll get you painkillers for that."

"What did you do to me?"

"We took out your chip."

She undid one of the binders and he heard someone outside of the door.

"You know about the chips?"

She smiled, "Of course." And handed him two pills. "Painkillers!" She said.

He swallowed them and she handed him an opened bottle of water.

"Thanks, Where am I?" He took a swallow of the water.

"Hmm! That answer may have to wait a little while." She fetched a small tray. "This was your chip. It was infected. You were lucky we took it out when we did."

He looked at the mangled mess of bio matter that had been in his head, he could see how it had degraded. Yes they had probably saved his life but was it worth it?

He took several more swallows of the water and the painkillers started working.

Watching the young medic or nurse, he wasn't sure what she was, he asked another question.

"Where am I?"

She smiled at him, "Not yet!"

"So where's the two that caught me— female and male humans?"

"All in good time." She scanned his head again. "How's your memory? What's your name?"

"Ja….c"

"Jac?" She asked.

He nodded.

"What planet were you on last?"

"I'll tell you, if you tell me where we are now."

She smiled. "You'll have headaches for a few days, as there's still some inflammation in the brain, where the chip was but we're monitoring it. Bacta's in short supply so we couldn't put you in a tank." She scanned his chest. "Heart and respiration still good for a forty odd year old."

"What's the clone's name? He was a Commando or ARC. I know he's one from his build."

She shook her head, still smiling.

.

"He's awake and I gave him some painkillers and water." Mel advised the little group assembled in Essie's kitchen.

"What's he like?" Del asked, from his seat on the stairs. Essie gave him a stern look and he went quiet. But he was still fascinated by yet another clone. Another man who looked just like his adoptive Dad.

"There's still some inflammation where the chip was but he's coming around quickly and asking questions especially, where we are and about Essie and Maze." Mel continued, she looked at the couple. "He doesn't know your names but he knows you're a clone. And was a Commando or ARC. He says he recognised your build."

"Did he give his name?"

"He said Jac, but I don't think that was his original name."

"What about his designation?"

"Sorry, I forgot to ask."

Essie felt something; she looked to the bottom of the stairs.

"Where's Del?"

He was getting too damn good at the stealth that Maze was teaching him. She looked at Maze before they headed to the small medical facility.

.

Del opened the door; he desperately wanted to see the old man they brought in who looked like his Dad's older brother.

He'd seen the Nulls and Commando's and Levet on Mandalore but they don't go there anymore and he misses Kad. They can only talk via encrypted Holonet messaging now and then Kai always tries to interrupt. He wanted to come with him now but he would have made too much noise.

He pushed the door open slowly. The man was still in bed but they had shackled him to the bed because after all he had been a Stormtrooper they said and some clones liked being Stormtroopers despite having the chips in their heads.

He couldn't think that you could possibly have something physically put in your head that controlled you but he probably understood better than most people. He had always felt Mother in his head, even when he was tiny and then Kad. When they first met, Kad knew that he could sense that he was a Force user and they grew close. Uncle Arli and Djinn said he wasn't Force Sensitive but could sense Force users, which was weird and they don't really understand it.

But he had to tell his Mum, rather he told Dad to tell Mum, to stop trying to sense how he felt and he kept trying not to sense how she felt especially, when Dad kissed her because Eew! That was just too embarrassing at their age.

Dad was good like that. He listened, laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. Treated me like an equal.

"So," the clone grumbled, "You going to ask a question, Youngling, or just gawk?"

He came in fully and closed the door behind him.

"What's your name?"

"Jac. Yours?"

"Del." He parked himself on a stool.

"Were you really a Stormtrooper?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Why indeed. He tried to remember exactly why he became a Stormtrooper and the only reason he could think of was that he didn't have a choice.

"I don't think I had a choice."

"They've taken the chip out now, so you can make a choice."

"Not sure there's much choice to make."

"Dad says there's always a choice. Some clones even made the right choice when they still had the chips still inside them."

Jac watched the young lad. He estimated him to be about twelve to thirteen standard years. Well built, looked as if he trained as well. He sat just a little too far away to get at him. Then he mentioned clones who had deserted but he didn't say desert, just made a choice.

"Who's your Dad?"

"That would be me."

Answered the large clone who stood in the doorway.