Orto Plutionia arc

Good Men

Chopper returned to the makeshift barracks and cleaned up after a run with Sketch and a early breakfast in the Coruscant Guards mess. They hadn't talked much but that was ok, Chopper hadn't had much to say and didn't think Sketch had either but it was like two troopers who had survived battle together; they had nothing to say. Or perhaps there was too much to say and neither knew where to begin. It didn't matter, it had been a good run.

"Meeting at 0800, Chopper," mumbled Fives from his bunk as Chopper armored up.

Chopper nodded, knowing Fives would be there alert and ready for anything. As fast as Echo could be ready, Fives was faster if it allowed him a few extra moments of sleep.

The meeting was short, simply a confirmation that some committee had approved Senator Chuchi's travel and she could depart immediately. General Skywalker and Commander Tano were requested to report to the Jedi Temple.

"Shouldn't take long," had grinned Skywalker, "probably just advice from the council on how to handle the situation."

"As if you and Master Kenobi needed that," said the commander with enthuesiasm.

"Or would follow it," murmured Echo in link to the helmeted troopers. Fives chuckled and Kev froze at disrespect for superior officers.

"Yeah, Kev," replied Fives, his voice still rolling with amusement, "it's a tightly kept secret that they usually make it up as they go."

Senator Chuchi said she would pack light as she rose from the table and Captain Rex asked Chopper to put Fives and Echo as her personal guard for the moment since she hadn't requested any of the Coruscant Guards she was entitled as a traveling senator. Chopper suggested Kev, instead of Echo, along with Fives.

"Any particular reason, Chopper?" The captain had asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, sir. Fives and Echo work together like fingers of the same hand. They need practice working with other troopers."

Rex nodded. "And Kev?"

Chopper snorted softly. "Kev needs practice working with people."

Captain Rex nodded. "As you suggest then, Chopper."

Chopper nodded, "yes sir" even as he sighed. He wouldn't have minded escorting the senator; wouldn't have minded one bit walking beside her, shortening his long stride, while one of his other brothers walked her other side. He would have liked to escort her to her apartments in the Senate Building and seen how she lived; seen what was important to her. Maybe she'd have static holos of family or artwork or plants or fine handmade furniture. It would all be a clue to who she was. It would all be something Chopper could ask about; something to begin a conversation from the security of anonymity. He wouldn't have minded carrying her pack back to the Twilight for her. Maybe she would have given him a smile. He'd never know now.

Chopper made the order and, while Echo gave him an odd look, no one made any objections. Fives and Kev followed the senator while Echo followed Chopper and Captain Rex back to the Twilight to receive the cold weather gear from the Coruscant Guards. Captain Fox was there with another trooper; Chopper recognized Sketch, the armor between the two men. Sketch looked satisfactorily tired and Captain Fox had a big grin on his face.

Captain Rex glanced at the armor borrowed from the Coruscant Guards and stopped mid-step. Resting atop one of the five neat piles of armor was an artic helmet with Rex's trademark jaig eyes.

Captain Fox's grin became wider, if that was possible, at Rex's expression. "We couldn't let Captain Rex of the 501st have a rookie's armor," he quipped.

The captain picked up the helmet, inspecting the jaig eyes as well as the additional patterning. "Good work," he nodded. "Quickly done, too." He looked at the remaining suits of armor. Each suit but one had some individual mark; a line on the shoulder, a shape on the temple. All but one.

Chopper stepped over to the plain set. "Mine?" He glanced at Sketch and Captain Fox. Sketch gave a small nod.

"It's my personal set, Chopper. I've stripped off all the design; IR as well as visible. Just the way you like armor. I'll repaint it when I get it back." Sketch told him softly and Chopper reached out his hand, he and Sketch clasping each other by the forearms.

See Slick? Chopper asked in his mind. Do you see, Slick?

"Thank you, Fox." Rex nodded and turned toward the other company's trooper, a man he'd meet before on Christophsis. After a long look at the trooper, Rex smiled slightly. "Thank you, Sketch."

Sketch came to attention. "My honor, sir."

See, Slick. Good men.

Kev, in his helmet, listened to background transmissions of the Coruscant Guards with only a part of his mind. Why did Chopper pick me to help Fives escort Senator Chuchi? Fives and Echo are brothers so why me? He didn't say anything or ask, Fives did outrank him by time in service as well as in commendations earned.

"Check security, Kev." Fives spoke external audio and made a gesture with his hand into the main public space of Senator Chuchi's living quarters.

"Oh, that's not necessary, I'm not…" began the petite senator.

"It is necessary, Senator Chuchi." Fives gestured in front of her with open fingers and she stopped. "Not only for your safety as senator but because it is the correct procedure."

"You didn't do this in Senator Amidala's office, yesterday." She tilted her head and her golden eyes narrowed.

Fives waited, his own masked face tilted downward toward her. Inside his helmet he smiled. She was smart; he expected she would figure it out.

"Or did you?" Her arms crossed in front of her and her lips pursed thoughtfully.

"Yes ma'am. Of course, we did. However, there were more people in the room, there was more going on. You were busy and probably didn't notice. We do try to stay in the background at times."

Kev pinged Fives' helmet as he pointed to an area at the corner of the senator's window then continued his search. One ping. A possible listening device. Fives watched Kev continue the search. He was being cautious, not really sure and simply wanted confirmation. Echo must have been his usual over-thorough self when he'd shown Kev what to look for.

Kev, finished with the main room, glanced at Fives and the Senator then closed channeled to Fives. "Should I simply go into her private room to check or should I ask permission." Kev's voice was unusually quiet. Kev had been unusually quiet since… well, since he'd been assigned to them, but even more so since last night.

"Courtesy, Kev, is good." Fives replied closed channel. "Ask her, but if she refuses you must still search."

Kev strode up to Fives and Senator Chuchi. "May I continue the search in your private chambers, Senator Chuchi."

She sighed. "If you must." She gestured gracefully, palm up, offering the rest of her quarters.

"Yes, ma'am. I must," answered Kev as he moved into the other rooms. Fives strode over to the window.

"A nice view," he said absently as he inspected the place where Kev had gestured. Senator Chuchi moved over to the window as well, not noticing Fives kept most of his body between it and her. She shrugged at his words as she looked out the wide window.

"These are simply barracks for senators. More spacious than trooper barracks, fairly uniform in design, assigned by senatorial ranking and family size." She frowned. "I don't personalize it. It's not my home. It's too high, too crowded, too warm, too humid." Her voice seemed sad to Fives.

"Will you be glad to visit home again this trip?" Fives ran a quick scan on the small imperfection of the window.

She didn't answer him but simply stared through her own reflection out the window with a small frown on her lips.

No, thought Fives, not happy to go home either. The scan blinked back a code he hadn't encountered before.

Leaving her to her solitude, Fives tilted his head as he ran several more scans on the tempered glass. His eyebrows rose at what the scans revealed. It wasn't an imperfection in the glass.

"Forgive me, senator, I have a message." Absently she nodded and Fives withdrew, touching his helmet and called close channel to Kev. "Good job, Kev. We'll have to notify Praetorian Electronic Security but it looks like a low-profile sound amplifier with a listening post somewhere out there." Fives thought a moment then continued. "You found it, you notify Security."

There was silence from Kev. Then he came to the doorway and went external audio. "It's clear, Senator Chuchi. You may come in and pack your gear." He stood at the door in attention as Senator Chuchi moved into the more private area of her quarters. She gave him a small nod.

How odd, thought Fives. So many nods, so much sadness.

"Why, Fives?" Kev spoke to Fives. "Reporting it could be a commendation. And you confirmed it. I just thought the window looked a little odd."

"You found it, Kev. You noticed that oddity. You deserve any praise or commendation."

"Thanks Fives. Not too many troopers…"

"Any good trooper would, Kev. Maybe you should stop thinking like 'any trooper' and start thinking like one of the best in the 501st." Fives' voice was slightly sharp. He'd heard Kev's unspoken assumption that Chopper would have taken the credit. Since the sabacc game last night with Ash, Kev had been careful not to make any derogatory remarks about Chopper, even though he still thought them.

Kev was silent again and Fives went closed channel to Echo and Chopper. They should be within range. There was crackle and a bit of static, more from anti-electronic baffles built into the Senate Building than from distance, but Echo answered.

"Good work with Kev, Echo." Fives spoke. "It looks like we found a listening device in the Senator's quarters. I've told Kev to report it to PES."

"How's he doing?" Chopper's rough voice came over the channel.

"Well, enough, Chopper. He's polite with the senator, carefully thorough in his checks. We can attribute that to Echo. But otherwise Kev is quiet and thoughtful. I think the visit from Ash last night contributed a lot to that. It really shook him up, Chopper, to think that you were friends with a citizen, particularly a female citizen who allowed flirting."

Chopper gave a soft grunt; more usual for the taciturn troooper, but Fives could hear the pleasure in it.

"We've got our arctic armor, Fives and…" Echo was interrupted by a ping from Kev.

"Open channel?" asked Fives, then did at Echo's affirmative.

"I've notified PES about the anomaly, Fives." Kev reported. "I also reported that Senator Chuchi would be traveling with us. They said they'd delaying checking it out until we were gone. They prefer minimal interference in the lives of the senators and their families."

"That's good work, Kev. Captain Rex will be pleased." It was Chopper's voice and as much a surprise to Fives as it was to Kev. Chopper spoke rarely over helmet channels, usually only when necessary.

Fives reflected. Perhaps this was necessary; he had no idea why Captain Rex had assigned Kev to them though he and Echo had ideas and discussed them often.

Kev merely grunted back, then, after a pause. "Thank you."

"As I was saying," continued Echo in a gleeful voice, "The Coruscant Guards brought us arctic armor and it's marked in 501st blue. We've got it in the holding bay of the Twilight." There was laughter in Echo's voice. "Captain Rex has his jaig eyes and Chopper's is hard-worn and stripped of design. When you get here you can choose between the two remaining but we won't look like rookies in front of the 212th."

"Senator Chuchi, you're ready?" Fives' voice warned Echo and Chopper. She carried a portfolio of flimsis as well as a small pack and had added warmer clothing over her slight frame.

"I am." Another nod. Fives wondered who she was trying to convince then realized it was herself. He glanced around her apartments again; no decoration, no evidence of any visitors or anyone who lived with her.

Fives noted her mild surprise as he relieved her of the pack and slung it over one shoulder. He reached for the portfolio as well.

"Senate work," she said, declining his assistance with the small case.

"It must be very important, then," Fives remarked.

"Sometimes, I wonder." Senator Chuchi sighed wistfully. "It seems so much work, and yet so little gets done when it is actually implemented." She sighed again. "At least it will keep me busy when Chairman Cho takes over this mission."

"We're GAR troopers, senator. We follow the Jedi and the senate, not local authority."

"I doubt if it will turn out that way. Chairman Cho can be," she paused searching for an acceptable term. "Persuasive."

Fives remembered the man from the holovid in Senator Amidala's office. Persuasive was not a word Fives would associate with the direct, hard-speaking man he'd seen. Insistent and dictatorial perhaps, but not persuasive.

"Will you be all right, senator?" Fives voice, through the external audio, was soft.

Senator Chuchi was silent as she quickened her pace and continued down the corridor.

No, thought Fives to himself, she won't be all right. He'd tell Chopper; Chopper understood mental anguish.

"Kev, his own thoughts in his mind, kept quiet as they escorted Senator Chuchi down the hallway. Why has Chopper put me with Fives?

Read and enjoy... Happy Thanksgiving.