Fourteen
Gem woke late the following day, and didn't get out of bed until the early afternoon.
She made herself some caf and checked for messages on the comm he had given her before he left.
"I will be in touch using this," he had said. "You can contact me, but only in the case of an emergency OK? It's not to be used for private conversations Gem, understand? You can leave a data message though, and again, I'll try and get back to you when I have a spare minute."
Nothing was there, but then again, it had only been seven hours.
Gemma knew what would make her refocus again.
She needed to run.
Whenever things got bad on that lonely little moon, she would run the tunnels she had inadvertently discovered.
First five klicks in, then ten. She would eventually make it twenty, culminating in the discovery of the corridor network under the ground that no longer existed.
She remembered that Rex had gained approval for her to use the running track in the Barracks building, and changing into a pair of running sweats she headed out to find the gym.
She passed the Patrol Station located just past her apartment. Vail was working quietly on a data pad while the other clone stood to attention as she approached.
"Hey Vail," she said casually.
He looked up and smiled, minus his helmet. "Hello Ma'am, how can we assist you today?" Gem was distracted by the trooper standing at full attention. Vail let out a small sigh, "at ease Eight three," he let out. The soldier returned to parade rest.
"Don't mind him Ma'am, he's straight from Kamino."
"CT 56-1483. Ma'am." he said earnestly.
"Eight three?" she asked the other soldier. "We're working on it, aren't we Eight three?" She noticed the younger officer flinch slightly, not sure about the older trooper and whether he should question the new name he had been given.
"I like it, good to meet you Eight three," she extended her hand towards him and he relaxed enough to accept it in a firm shake.
"This is Representative Gem from Oriis, She is located in apartment 7351-D." Vail offered.
He then noticed her outfit. She looked ready for a work out. "You heading to the Spa on Level Two Ma'am?"
"No, the Barracks Gym. I'm meeting with the Sergeant there to try out the tunnel."
"That'd be Hutch, Ma'am. OK Eight three, you've got a mission. Escort the Representative to the Barracks."
"Sir, yes Sir."
Vail sighed again, it wasn't like they were heading into combat any time soon.
Gem really didn't require someone to escort her to the Barracks, she was familiar with the route, but could sense that he needed some time away from his earnest companion and obliged, mouthing "you owe me," over her shoulder as she was lead away.
Vail smiled, and flippantly tipped his forehead with his hand in a relaxed salute.
###
Eight three was indeed intense. Gem unable to extract any conversation out of him the entire way to the GAR building.
"Excuse me Ma'am, I'll get the desk to comm the Gym and notify the Sergeant of your arrival."
She turned away as he spoke and looked around the GAR facility.
It was a busy, a constant stream of men in various uniforms coming and going. All the same face, but slightly different.
She was beginning to pick up on the subtleties when Eight three returned to her side.
"Ma'am. The Sergeant has been expecting you and will be here immediately."
She thanked the young soldier and sent him back to his station.
A man in fatigues arrived and upon noticing the woman obviously out of place, he briskly walked over to her. Standing straight, he introduced himself officially.
"Representative Gem, CT 32-3851, Sergeant. They call me Hutch. It is an honour to meet you Ma'am. Captain Rex speaks highly of you and tells me you're quite a runner? Walk and talk Ma'am?"
"Thank you Sergeant." She laughed at his familiarity. "I enjoy running and was delighted to hear about this tunnel system you have in place here."
"My word Ma'am, it's state of the art all the way. Nothing like it anywhere. You'll enjoy it once you get used to the feeling of being inside."
He hit the elevator button and they headed down into the bowels of the building.
She noticed a small group of soldiers, in various states of undress working out. A couple on running machines, others tackling on the mats. One soldier was swinging wildly on a bar in between two wooden racks.
"What is that?" she blurted out as he lifted himself up another slot.
"Oh," Hutch laughed, "that's the Salmon rack. Good for your abdominal's Ma'am."
Some stopped their workout, wiping their faces on their towels. Some, she noticed were putting their shirts back on.
All the time watching their Sarge and the girl when he turned and boomed sarcastically.
"Did I say you could stop?"
Quickly they resumed their exercise regime, avoiding any eye contact.
She heard one trooper talking quietly to another.
"That's her."
Gem instantly felt conspicuous.
"She's the Sith Slayer, the five oh first brought her back here after her flight tanked. She saved a Lieutenant's life."
Men began gathering in small groups, all standing until she was aware of them staring. The Sarge turned as well, but before he could administer a torrid of abuse, they all began clapping.
Gemma clasped her hands in front of her, not knowing what else to do with them. She looked over at the trainer and shook her head. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"They respect you, and that's no mean feat considering the action some of these men have seen. Accept their praise. Then move on."
Gem nodded and wiped a tear that had escaped down her cheek.
"By the Core, you'll all be here until Hoth melts. Get back to it!" the Sergeant barked.
###
"This is how it works. The tunnel is one klick long, it keeps revolving so you can continue as long as you want. We use it to train soldiers to run in different terrains. See," he pressed a few buttons on the control pad and light snow began to fall in a holovid inside the opening. The temperature also dropped radically. "We can change it accordingly, like," he again frantically typed away at the keyboard in front of him, "now we have you on Escabar, running in sand."
"That's fantastic," Gem beamed, "can I go in?"
"Well, how long do you want to run and what conditions would you prefer Ma'am?"
"Let's start with ten klicks and say, twenty degrees Celsius, and forest scenery should do nicely."
With that, the Sergeant made the adjustments and opened the tunnel door.
They both looked inside as he turned to her smiling,"Welcome to Naboo Ma'am."
"We can alter the track, make it incline, undulate, whatever you fancy, just let me know what you want, we have closed circuit monitoring and an open comm link at all times."
Gemma stepped inside and gave him a quick nod. She took a deep breath and started slowly at a slight jog until she found her rhythm and felt the endorphins kick in.
She laughed to herself at how wonderful it felt to be moving her body once more. The scenery was a good distraction and the temperature control meant that she remained comfortable.
In a low voice she heard him say. "How goes it Ma'am?"
"All good Sir," she breathed back.
Then she felt a slight breeze hit her face, and she smiled.
"Thought you could do with a little fresh air," he added with a chuckle.
"I think I can get used to this Sergeant," she said.
She then broke out into a fast run, lost in her thoughts and free for the first time since arriving at Ground Zero.
###
They landed in the Hanger bay of the Resolute, their home away from home.
Rex knew his way around the many corridors, headed immediately to his bunk and placed his equipment away in the locker.
Jesse and Kix were also on the hop, as was Sergeant Coric and Hardcase.
Generals Skywalker and Kenobi were leading the mission to Orto Plutonia.
She wasn't required on this hop, and Rex was grateful that he had time to digest the past week of his life without any other distractions.
It was a lot to take in.
Apart from the obvious physical attraction to the young woman, the changes in his thinking were another battle to be fought. Time in flight meant that he didn't have to talk or think about anything for twenty hours. Time to himself, he relished the fact but also felt guilty in wanting to have that time alone.
Without her.
He shook his head and threw himself back onto his bunk, inadvertently letting out a loud sigh.
"You OK Sir?"
It was Kix.
"Fine, thank you medic," Rex was formal in his response.
"We are heading to the Mess if you wanted to join us?"
"Maybe later, I just need to rest a bit."
Kix smiled and began to walk off when he turned and said simply.
"She's captivating Sir." His thoughts had been caught out. Kix lowered his head, wincing at being overly familiar with his commanding officer.
With that said, Rex slowly and deliberately lifted himself up and sat at the edge of his bunk.
Kix straightened, fully expecting to be reprimanded for his inappropriate comment.
"She is indeed Kix, she is indeed."
He stood up and slapped his friend on the shoulder, "you know, I might just grab that cup of caf after all," he said, and together they left their quarters and headed towards the Mess.
###
Glid station.
A Republic outpost on the icy world on Orto Plutonia.
A small unit of the 501st, dressed in their specific cold assault armour led by Captain Rex headed out into the bitter environment upon arrival on the icy surface.
"They say if you fart in one of these suits, you can set it alight," Jesse, trying to distract attention away from the building tension of the raised voices in the distance. The dignitaries from Pantora had arrived and were making their presence felt to the two young Jedi Generals.
"You better stand clear of Hardcase then," Kix laughed.
"Which one of you vode want to be sent off world," Hardcase joined in the fun at his expense, and timidly bent over in the direction of one of his brothers in white.
"Righto boys, that's enough," they could all hear the humour in their Captains voice.
There was however, no more time for humour, not when there was another battle looming, as insidious as the snow collecting lightly on their armour.
###
'Set up a perimeter. Hold tight, focus. Argh! Fek! Aim for the mounts, bring them down, bring them all down! We're in a bit of a mess Sir. Eleven dead, and many more injured. The chairman is dead. The chairman is dead, is dead. DEAD!.'
Rex opened his eyes and realised where he was. Leaning up against a Freeco, he had inadvertently allowed his eyes to close.
"Sir, I can take a look at that arm now if you like?" Kix had seen the Captain wake with a start.
It was rare to see him sleep at all during a mission; it was a luxury the Captain never afforded himself.
"I need a full update," he said ignoring the medic's request, pulling himself up and placing his helmet back on.
The mission, although considered a success in that the Talz had been granted ownership of Orto Plutonia was a monumental failure in Rex's mind.
He had lost men, the Chairman from Pantora had been killed and he had been injured.
Over and over he thought how this could have played out better. If he had been in charge, it would have. Instead, he was counting the loss of more men.
He straightened as he saw his General heading towards him.
"Captain, General Kenobi and I are heading back to Pantora with Senator Chuchi. A new unit is being deployed from Coruscant and will be here in three days to dismantle the station. In the meantime, I'll leave you here to oversee," he stopped for a moment, his tone softening slightly, "to oversee the handover." He moved towards Rex and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll see you back on board Rex. Get that arm looked at, and that's an order."
"Thank you General, yes Sir." He watched as they stepped into the Laat/i.
The pilot looked down at the small group of soldiers assembled, saluting the men remaining on the icy world.
###