Beginning Again arc III
Return to Coruscant
They'd taken the Twilight; General Skywalker, Commander Tano, Captain Rex, Chopper and Squad leader Jesse's squad. Squad leader Jesse and his men were fidgeting with suppressed excitement; Hardcase occasionally standing up to walk the floor of the small ship. "Coruscant," he'd whisper and Chopper could hear the wonder and excitement in his voice.
The commander stayed mostly in the cockpit with the general during the flight as was usual, but when she did come back to the hold, she restricted her talking with the captain to business only. The captain restricted his to direct answers. It wasn't odd enough to really be noticed by the troopers, but Chopper noticed a lack of … something… between them. The commander sat with Jesse, asking questions of his squad, laughing with pleasure and promising Jesse he could have night duty so he could watch the lights of the city. Then she came to sit quietly next to Chopper and he turned softly for her to lean against him if she wished.
This time they were put in a large set of apartments in the Senate Building; more ostentatious luxury mixed with very little trooper austerity. The general, commander and Captain Rex each had their own rooms with adjoining refreshers. The remaining troopers had four rooms and three 'freshers for the seven of them. They were inspecting their rooms, laughing at the luxury and waste of space.
"You could fit our barracks from the Resolute in this room and still have space for a starfighter," Hardcase was laughing when they all heard an unusual sound from the commander.
Immediately they were troopers, rushing to assist, Chopper in the rear only because he had chosen the furthest room, tucked behind a kitchen with its own shower.
The commander squealed again in delight at the size of her bath though the troopers, drawn by her laughter, didn't know what to make of the enormous bowl of smooth, pink stone.
"Too small to do laps in," remarked Conjure.
Slack rubbed his chin with his fingers. "Wasteful of water."
"And slow," commented Hardcase as he holstered his blaster.
"What do you mean?" asked the commander, tilting her head back to see the entire contingent of armored men, including Captain Rex, crowded at the door to her refreshing room.
Hardcase gestured with his hand. "Fill it up. Wash, empty then fill it again to rinse." He shook his head. "Wasteful of water and time."
"It's for a bath, gentlemen." Ahsoka huffed. "A nice, long, hot, relaxing, bubbly soak after a busy day."
"Heat is good for sore muscles," admitted Jesse.
"Bubbly?" asked Hardcase in a puzzled voice.
Captain Rex tapped Chopper on the arm and gestured him to follow. They left the men and the commander debating baths versus showers to enter the stately room that Rex had claimed. There was a large wooden desk and Rex took the chair behind it as if it was his desk in his office on the Resolute.
"Sir," Chopper stood in parade rest in front of the desk.
"Do you have plans, Chopper, while you're here on Coruscant?"
Chopper hesitated. He didn't want to mention his tentative plans to seek out his lady Riyo, but neither did he want to blindside the captain. He nodded slowly. "When I'm not otherwise needed, I'd like to spend some time with Sketch. I'd also like to," he spread his hands out, "explore Coruscant a bit if that's allowed. Perhaps a run to the port to see if Pilot Ashwaeen is making a delivery? If so, maybe introduce her to Sketch and spend some time with her as well. Perhaps see if I can be of assistance in some way to Senators Amidala or Chuchi, even if it's just practicing conversation." There. Subtle but sufficient if the captain saw him with Riyo.
Rex nodded. "You'll be commander's second while you're here, of course. There's some function Senator Amidala is hosting which the general, the commander, Squad leader Jesse and I will attend. Perhaps you can assist in some way, but you'll need to be at hand to second the commander. Check with Ahsoka," Rex smiled at some memory, "she likes getting ready for these things but it's like planning a major assault. Senator Amidala insists she not wear her padawan clothing and sends over…" He waved his hands helplessly in front of him. "Beautiful things for her to wear."
His voice had turned wistful and the captain looked out the window remembering something that could no longer be.
Chopper sucked in his lower lip, his jaw grinding in indecision.
"Rex," he spoke softly, with no rank to the captain's name, and didn't look into the captain's face because he would have choked into silence if he'd seen anger. "I've noticed a difference between you and the commander in the last couple of days and…" Chopper shrugged. "Are you ok?"
There was silence in the room and Chopper studied the pattern woven into the rug, a series of curved lines intersecting in elongated paralelagons.
"As your superior officer I should tell you it's not your concern." Rex's face was stern, angry for a moment, then his face fell and he looked down at the grain of the wooden desk. "Thank you, Chopper. We've … made decisions. That's all."
Chopper nodded though there were no words he could think of to say.
Chopper and Hardcase took a walk through the apartment complex, routinely assessing escapes and weaknesses. There weren't many. Speaking with the troopers at the lobby desk, he found that all senate personnel kept public calendars and asked for the data to be available for their helmet downloads.
In the privacy of his room off the kitchen, Chopper looked up Senator Chuchi's schedule. She wasn't due back to Coruscant for another day and, according to the Senate schedule, had various engagements over the next tenday introducing the new Chairman Papanoida of Pantora to various senators and committees. Chopper sighed. He probably wouldn't see her, but he studied her schedule seeing possibilities where he might see her. He realized she was going to Senator Amidala's engagement and sighed even deeper knowing she would be so close. He considered binding Jesse to a bunk, just temporarily, and going in his place but decided no one would approve.
After a good sleep, Chopper had gone for a pre-dawn run; Coruscant was as quiet as it ever got. He'd finished his stretching, a few katas and was now sitting on one of the benches outside the Senate Apartments watching the white paleness of incipit day stretch over the buildings.
A woman was coming toward him… toward the door rather… with a large plant of looping leaves and flowers in her arms towering over her. She was muttering under her voice and Chopper grinned as he heard imprecations in that familiar tone. He stood and walked toward her.
"Senator Amidala," he said. "Would you like me to kill something for you?"
"Oh, Captain Rex… could you just take this plant…"
Chopper had the unwieldy plant in his arms immediately and she dusted her hands against her worn pants and pushed her braid back from over her shoulder then glanced into his face.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Chopper, isn't it? I didn't mean to mistake you for Captain Rex."
"No insult taken, senator." Though his expression didn't change, Chopper smiled inwardly. She remembered his name, he'd been right to count her as a friend. "Being mistaken for Captain Rex could be considered a high point in any trooper's day." He gave a soft smile, ducked his head and moved beside her so the marred side of his face was away from her view. He knew it wasn't necessary, she was from Naboo, but he did it as a courtesy. "Now, did I hear you make threatening noises?"
"I'm considering your offer. It's very generous but sadly," she sighed. "A bit much simply because he refused delivery after promising he would." She looked him up and down and Chopper blushed just a bit. "I see you've already been on a run, could I convince you to carry this plant up to my apartments?"
"Of course, senator." He looked at the plant in his arms, a circle of bright green leaves at its base in a round bowl of rocks, the plant nearly the height of the senator, covered with hundreds of looped flowers roughly the size of his thumb. "What is it?"
"A delicacy from Naboo, kalijpo blossom berries." She moved into the Senate Apartments, the two troopers at the lobby desk eyeing the moving plant carefully until they saw him behind it.
"Delicacy? They're edible?" Chopper asked as he strode along beside her, easily keeping up even loaded with the plant. It wasn't heavy, merely clumsy and unwieldy, the main weight of the plant in the stabilizing stones and the heavy, swaying blossoms shifting with his every step.
"I'll show you when we're upstairs." She made a nod at the trooper at the lobby desk, keeping track of visitors. "He's my guest," Senator Amidala spoke even as Chopper gave his designation. He looked at her as they entered the lift.
"We've been quartered in some apartment on the same floor as yours," he explained.
"Oh," she seemed surprised. Chopper supposed she might be, might assume they'd garrison with Coruscant Guards.
"I wish I'd known."
"Why, senator?" Chopper asked.
"I would have invited you."
He wondered if she meant you singular as in Chopper or you plural as in the entire squad but decided it didn't matter. "You'll have Captain Rex and Squad leader Jesse. They're adequately representative of the GAR."
"True, but this isn't an enjoyable event," she explained as she guided him toward the kitchen where she wanted the plant. "Careful, there's a step down here." She took his elbow to help guide him. "It's business and…" she gestured, her shoulders coming up in a shrug he saw as he set the plant on a table in what was obviously the kitchen.
"And you have to keep your guard up? Could always use a few more allies?" He finished for her in a question.
"Exactly." Her fingers removed some of the blossoms which had fallen from the plant into the bowl. She handed him several, about half, then sat at one of the counter chairs gesturing him to the other. "Have you ever had kalijpo fruit?"
"No ma'am." Chopper inspected the blossoms in the palm of his big hand. Each blossom was composed of a petal slightly longer than his fingers, thinner as well and held in a thumb-sized loop by a bit of stem holding both ends. The petals were a waxy near-white, translucent at the edges in the light of the morning sun. Opposite the stem, on the inner side of the loop at the widest part of the blossom, was a reddish bulge.
"The inner berry is the delicious part. Although you can steam the blossoms until the wax melts off..." She held a pale blossom with the stem between two fingers and set the index finger of her opposite hand on top of the loop. "A purist knows the berries are best fresh and uncooked." She pressed down slightly on the loop then, with a quick twist, she turned her finger underhand and the loop twisted inside out with a small popping noise.
Chopper could see a single berry peeping up between the edges of the blossom loop. She pulled down a little on the stem edge of the loop, bringing the berry into further prominence and slipped it into her mouth.
Chopper looked down to the three blossoms in his hand. He set two on the counter and, with the stem between his fingers, tried to duplicate her gesture. His blossom turned inside out, but there was no 'pop' and the berry remained hidden under its waxy coat.
Senator Amidala chuckled as she reached for her second blossom and, with an expert twist, revealed and ate the berry. She raised an eyebrow at Chopper.
It took him a moment, but he suddenly realized she was flirting with him. Not serious flirting like she did with the general, he realized, but friendly flirting; similar to the commander, similar to Ash flirting with everyone at the sabacc game, playful flirting between friends.
Chopper gave her a small smile, hoping he was right. "You do realize I am a ferocious clone trooper and not to be defeated by a mere flower." He twisted the loop again but the berry remained stubbornly encased. He heard the 'pop' of her last blossom and looked up. She was chewing her last berry with a satisfied smirk.
He sighed and held the flower out to her. "But I know when to call in the heavy artillery." She laughed and stood, coming to his side.
Chopper thought she meant to show him by taking one of his two remaining blossoms and demonstrating again. Instead she put her slender hand on top of his scarred, hard, rough fingers and, guiding his hand, flipped the blossom loop inside out. He heard the characteristic 'pop', her satisfied voice, "Like that", but all he could do was stare at the berry, seeing only her pale, small hands on his scars.
"Are you ok, Chopper?" She looked at him strangely, as though she was worried about him.
"Yes sir. Ma'am." He replied abruptly, as if on autopilot. He knew the Naboo didn't mind scars, that there were other things more important than scars, but still…
"Didn't they bother you?" His voice was quiet and low.
"What?" Her reply was genuine bewilderment, her lips slightly stained with the juice from the berries she'd eaten.
"My… my scars." He was torn between wanting to shove his hands behind his back and holding them out for her inspection. He settled on bringing the berry to his lips and scraping it into his mouth like she had done then setting the waxy petal on the counter. The berry was sweet with an undercurrent of tartness and a chewy texture.
Senator Amidala tilted her head slightly, the braid swinging over her shoulder. "In a way they do and in a way they don't."
He frowned, turning his attention to the next looped blossom. Her fingers had done a good job guiding his and he flipped the blossom correctly, hearing the loosening berry pop from the waxy blossom.
"You're a trooper, Chopper. On the battlefield front. It is not surprising to find scars on a fighting man."
His head jerked up in surprise. She'd referred to him as 'man' not 'clone'. She wasn't paying attention to him; rather she was staring at the popped blossoms in her hand as she continued speaking. "But they remind me that there has to be fighting. They remind me that you are conscripted soldiers with no freedom to choose and that does bother me. They remind me that there is a war going on and that…" She looked at him with pain in her eyes. "That makes me angry and sad and frightened. And just a little bit crazy at times." She reached her finger to touch one of the waxy blossoms; without the berry inside, the petal simply collapsed in her palm.
He didn't know what to say, so he retreated into old habit and simply made a noise of acknowledgement in his throat. He held up the last blossom in front of him. "They're good," he said as he popped the last berry from its waxy coat. With a shy smile he handed her the inside-out loop with the red drop on it. "Thank you, Senator Amidala." He stood as she took the blossom.
She hadn't noticed the scars on his hands any more than…
His heart felt light. She hadn't noticed them any more than Senator Chuchi had noticed the scars on his face when she had raised her hands to his face and kissed him.
"If I can ever be of assistance to you in any way," he nodded his head. "I will." He tilted his head slightly. "Perhaps tomorrow before your event?"
Senator Amidala smiled. "Thank you, but no. I have another volunteer."
Chopper departed her apartment and the building wondering if her 'volunteer' was General Skywalker.
As the morning light lengthened, Chopper walked to the Coruscant Guards barracks. It was good visiting with Sketch again.
Of all Slick's squad, Sketch was the only one Chopper couldn't consistently beat at sparring; except for Slick, of course. But there was a cost extracted for showing up the sergeant in the gym, so Chopper hadn't tried more than once to show Slick how good he could be. Slick hadn't been interested in how good his troopers could be. Sparring with Sketch took away those memories, replacing them with laughter as first Chopper then Sketch had the upper hand on the mat.
Chopper invited the other trooper for a short, relaxing run to the space port. He checked at the Athualla port office and had the good fortune to catch Pilot Ash preparing for departure. Her face brightened at seeing Chopper. Sketch, standing behind him, seemed amazed that a civilian knew a clone trooper.
"She's the one I got the chocolate from, Sketch," murmured Chopper as they moved toward her. He had given Sketch one of the two chocolates saved from the sabacc game and seen the look of sublime ecstasy on Sketch's face as he slowly let it melt in his mouth.
Ash's gait had become oddly different and her pregnancy had become visibly apparent; helmet-sized apparent. Chopper held out his arm for her and she took it without hesitation.
The planet did not crack open to swallow him up when he bent his head to initiate a kiss on her cheek though Sketch had stared at him in shock. She had laughed softly and kissed him back.
"It's good to see you, Chopper." She turned to Sketch and looked over his face thoughtfully. "I don't know you, but if you're a friend of Chopper's, I'm Ash."
"CT-93-0287, ma'am." Sketch stood at parade rest then gave her a shy grin. "But if you're a friend of Chopper's, you can call me Sketch."
She smiled and took his arm as well then turned back to Chopper. "You've caught me at a bad time, Chopper. I begin a five parsec multi-linked delivery as soon as they bring the remaining paperwork."
"Enough time," he shrugged, "I wanted to introduce you to Sketch. He's with the Coruscant Guards here." Chopper shrugged. "He was with my old squad that included Jester and Gus."
Ash turned to the other trooper. He nodded softly, his golden brown eyes sparkling at the unusual introduction to a civilian.
"How are Jester and Gus?" she asked.
"Jester made sergeant shortly after Naboo," Chopper informed her and she smiled widely. "Gus healed up and decided to take medic's training. Apparently he's pretty good at it. He's now one of the assigned medics of the 41st Elite." He thought a moment and decided she'd like to hear about all the troopers she'd met. "Fives and Echo went for ARC training and Kev is still on the Resolute." He smiled. "Captain Rex regrets losing Fives and Echo. He was very pleased at the squad we were turning into."
"If you see them, any of them, let them know I think of them." Her face suddenly became serious. "I hope you all make it through this war, Chopper." She glanced up into Sketch's face. "You too, Sketch." Her face twitched oddly. "Oh, fierfik," she muttered, pulling her hands from both men to cover her face.
Sketch and Chopper glanced at each other, confused. Her shoulders were shaking and Chopper, recognizing she was crying, put his arm around her shoulder as he might with Commander Tano.
She wiped her face, now red and blotchy, tears still rolling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, it seems I just burst into tears no matter who I'm talking with or what I'm saying." She snuffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeves. "Here we are," she pulled both men into an office, unlocking it with her palm and a code. "At least, it's a little more private than the middle of Coruscant Port."
Sketch tilted his head in question toward a small sink while Chopper half-pulled, half-carried Ash to a chair and Chopper nodded. In a moment Sketch had returned with a coolly damp cloth and Ash held it to her face. After a few final sniffs, Ash looked up to the worried expressions of the two troopers in parade rest at either side of the chair. She giggled softly at their aura of concern and readiness to do whatever necessary.
"I'm alright. It's just pregnancy blues." She gestured toward a small room off the office. "You haven't eaten lunch, have you? I'd enjoy the company even if you have."
"You are all right, aren't you, Ash?" asked Chopper without moving from in front of her. "Your husband is taking proper care of you?"
She nodded and took a cleansing breath. "Yes, Chopper. He's taking care of me. I've always been much better out in space when I'm pregnant; where I don't run into people; where it's just me and the stars."
Chopper nodded, offering her his arm once again to escort her to the small break room. He turned to his brother trooper. "Sketch, have you had civilian food? It has so much more flavor than trooper rations."
Over chapiz, flakey little pastries filled with meat or eggs or vegetables, and ale for the troopers, they talked and laughed. Ash had let both men touch her growing belly as she told them how different people and races reacted. Sketch's hands had trembled slightly as she took them and placed them on what she called, appropriately enough to Chopper's eyes, 'Bolo'.
"The Gran," she rolled her eyes. "I can't walk past any Gran, male or female, without them asking for a blessing. No wonder Gran women don't leave the house while they're preg..."
"It moved!" exclaimed Sketch, jerking his hands away as he stared at her wide-eyed with worry. "Was it something I…."
"No, Sketch. It moves a lot." She gave both men an exasperated grin. "Mostly when I'm trying to sleep."
There'd been confusion in the two troopers for an instant, then Chopper chuckled and Sketch grinned.
When Chopper spread his big fingers across her, he noticed her belly was much warmer against his palms than the rest of her. That only brought more questions to Chopper's mind. He would have asked her questions about women and sex and love that he'd thought of since speaking with Fives and the commander, but he was reluctant to mention his lady or his reasons for wanting to know to anyone, even Sketch. Even so, it was a good visit.
"Ash," he had asked after they'd escorted her to her ship with the delivered export papers. Sketch had stepped around her ship to get a different view and he could speak with her privately, quickly. "Should I let Jester know you're pregnant if I see him?" He frowned at the spaceport floor. What did he truly know of male/female relationship; of sexual activity, of women and babies? "I know he'd be interested," he offered the excuse with a mental groan at his own ineptitude. "Seeing as we…" Chopper let the sentence die. Seeing as we what? Seeing as we survived the Malevolence ion cannon together? Seeing as we played sabacc? Seeing as you allowed us to flirt and Jester took you to the river?
"Seeing as we're friends?" Ash asked, her green eyes sparkling.
He nodded.
She had turned to him, her hand on his arm. "Please. Yes, please. Knaps and I…"
But Sketch was returning, smiling and she had quieted. Chopper took his cue from her. Knaps had obviously told her about being a contract commodity, the things forbidden to clones, and her secret wasn't for Sketch to know.
Chopper realized she hadn't told him anything either. Knaps had told Chopper he was officially terminated so he no longer existed and any suspicions Chopper had were ones he didn't have to share. He nodded and silently promised he'd let Jester know that their friend, Ashwaeen Athualla, was pregnant.
When they returned to the Coruscant Guards barracks, it was mid-afternoon and Sketch invited him to see some new armor he'd painted as well as some of his newer drawings. To Chopper's surprise, there was a quick sketch of his lady Senator Chuchi standing before some of the Coruscant Guard troopers.
"That's Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora, Chopper." Sketch pointed her out on the flimsi, as if Chopper couldn't distinguish her from all the troopers.
Chopper nodded. "She was with us for the Orto Plutonia battle."
"I know, but didn't know if you'd seen her. Politicians are usually nowhere near the front with the troopers," replied Sketch.
"She was. I was one of her escorts. In the end she made peace." Chopper looked at her face, admiring how Sketch had captured the curve of her cheek, the slenderness of her body.
"She's a favorite with the troopers just now," continued Sketch. "I mean aside from being one of the prettiest senators of the Republic. She came to the barracks a few days after you and the rest of the 501st departed back to the Resolute. She didn't give a big speech or bring reporters or vid crews like the politicians usually do," Sketch was explaining as Chopper continued admiring both the drawing and the subject. "She just came to Commander Fox one day and asked if the Guards could spare a few minutes for her. He ordered everyone off-duty up into the mess; she gave a small speech about what happened on Orto Plutonia and thanked us. 'You are not sufficiently appreciated', she said."
Sketch paused and glanced down at his drawing of the senator. "That felt good, Chopper, real good." He shrugged. "She gave us eleven medals and said they'd been returned from Kamino but the troopers' bravery should be known. She asked if the medals could be displayed here. Commander Fox escorted her on a tour of the barracks. She took her time. She talked to us, asked us questions." Sketch pushed the flimsi to the next page. "Genuinely interested in what we were saying," then he turned the drawing where Chopper could see it. It was a close up of the senator as she spoke to some trooper about his armor markings, her fingers reaching to touch the painted portion of his armor and the trooper visibly proud and excited to tell about his armor. Chopper smiled. His lady.
It was night when Chopper returned to the Senate Apartments. General Skywalker was elsewhere, Commander Tano was quietly sleeping on a bed only slightly smaller than a gunship, and Captain Rex was working on his data pad.
Jesse had taken night duty, a habit even in such a protected place as the Senate Apartments, though he was in garrison greys rather than full armor. He was sitting in the curved sill of a window, looking out over the city.
"Chopper, you've got to see this," commented Jesse as Chopper closed the door on an excellent day. "Then get into the kitchen. We got food delivered to us from Senator Amidala."
"See what, Jesse?" Chopper was cautious. Jesse and his squad weren't particularly friendly to Chopper, but neither did they call him 'Three quarter man' or go out of their way to avoid him.
Jesse nodded his chin toward one of the refreshing rooms the troopers had claimed.
Chopper glanced toward it then back toward Jesse who nodded and mimicked opening the door with his hand.
Chopper softly opened the door. A billow of steam pushed against him. Hardcase was stretched out in a white, stone tub surrounded by frothy bubbles his eyes closed and an expression of sublime satisfaction on his face. He'd heard the door open and glanced at Chopper from the corner of his eyes. The tips of his ears turned red then he slowly let himself sink into the bubbles below Chopper's view.
Chopper let only a small chortle escape as he closed the door for Hardcase. His laughter didn't begin until he was in the kitchen.
Conjure and Slack were in the kitchen seated at a small table they'd dragged in from another room. Between them was a tray of sliced meats and breads; various sauces, fruits.
"You missed it, Chopper." Slack had a grin on his face as he gestured at the tray.
"We decided that if you weren't back by 2100…" continued Conjure, "end result is we ate all the best stuff."
"Still looks good, Conjure." Chopper debated only a moment before sitting at an empty chair and rolling some thin-sliced meat around a melon slice and dipping it in a sauce at random. Civilian food was so much tastier than rations and it usually didn't matter how you combined it.
Conjure and Slack left after a talking a bit. Being Chopper, they didn't expect him to contribute very much to the conversation, but he listened and nodded; chuckling with them at their discovery of a 'soaking bath' instead of a simple, cleaning shower.
They left him to finish and put the food away. Chopper sat, relaxing until only Jesse was awake, keeping watch. Finally, Chopper stood, put up the tray of food, turned out the light in the kitchen and moved to his small room.
He flicked on the light in his room and caught his reflection in the shower-door's mirror. Chopper paused. It had been a good day; one of the best in his life. He turned and walked into the small refreshing room. He pulled off the garrison fatigues shirt and looked at his body; not at his scars.
He had broad shoulders, like all the clones. Strong arms. Chopper's eyes narrowed. He was graceful in his strength. Not just his hands as the commander had shown him but everywhere; a trooper in peak condition.
She won't like your scars. Slick's voice echoed in his head. She won't like your scars.
Chopper pulled off the trousers. There were more scars, but his muscles were well-defined. Nor were his scars angry red and new like he seemed to remember them. They'd faded. Now they were mostly silver-pale or white streaks on his skin.
In his mind, Slick shook his head with a sneering grin. She won't like your scars, Chopper old boy.
Chopper swallowed. It had been a very good day. Neither Ash nor Senator Amidala concerned themselves with his scars. It seemed that he was the most concerned about hiding his scars. He was the one most concerned about exposing something that others accepted with no hesitation.
Maybe she'll like me, Chopper replied.
Slick laughed. But it was a small laugh, with a desperate, hollow sound to it.
Tomorrow ... more. In the meantime, read, review, enjoy and have the start of a lovely Yuletide season...