"I'm taking a speeder into town, wanna come?"
"Nup. Reed and I have a date with a holovid after lunch."
Kix laughed. Jesse had taken to civilian life quicker than Dooku after a Jedi.
"I'll see you later then?"
"Yeah, later," he replied lazily.
Eighty
Kix looked at the young medic suspended in the bacta tank. He turned and scanned the room. All tanks were full. Men suspended naked like feotus' during the cellular regeneration that would render them fit for the battlefield.
It beat the alternative.
A month ago, he would have had a problem with the sight.
A month ago he was just back from Umbara.
Kix stepped aside to allow another guerney past, the drone of the hydrolic arm lifting someone out adding to the continuous gentle beeping of medical equipment.
.
Reed rolled over and yawned. It was just after eleven hour in the morning and smiled as he said to Jess, "wish him luck getting one of those dinosaurs going."
"Kix can fix anything, look at me."
Reed thought for a minute before he replied, "you OK ner vod?"
"I will be. Here," he flung a tube of sun block over to the pilot. "put some of this on my back will ya? Kix will have me if I get burnt."
Reed caught the lotion and laughed, "come closer, I'm not a Parawan."
.
Kix pulled the tarp off the old speeder housed in the garage.
He stood back and looked at it before he sat in the seat. The upholstery was the softest of red leather. He stroked the hide fondly. As archaic as this speeder was, it had been well looked after during it's life.
He smiled. This was going to be a good ride.
This was nothing like the high tech speeders he was used to in the army.
No guns aimed at his head, no recon or intel to relay back to his CO.
Just him and the road.
Freedom.
He clipped his helmet onto the back cleat and depressed the starter button. The motor struggled and spluttered before it stalled.
His freedom, like that in the GAR, was short lived.
A rueful smile crossed his lips.
It didn't matter that it hadn't started.
Like a fallen brother, it needed immediate triage.
It was just another day for the medic.
Only this time, he had time.
Kix alighted and ran through his training, working his way through a diagnostic.
When a bike fails to start, first check the battery.
He looked around the garage and opened a number of cupboards until he found a voltmeter.
Turning the external lights of the speeder on, he waited a couple of minutes to burn any surface charge off the battery. He then checked the volts and was satisfied it was still capable of starting the motor.
Without second though, he moved to the solenoid, but the odd, comforting clicking noise eliminated that as the culprit for his delay.
Kix stood back and looked again.
Methodical.
Scratching his head he stared at the ignition switch.
Fueled with determination, he began pulling the housing apart and looked at the fuses.
"Gotcha," he said with satisfaction.
Searching in the large durasteel cupboard he rifled though numerous unlabeled boxes until he found the correct fuse to replace the worn out one.
This was something that made him happy.
Fixing things.
Whether it was a bleeding trooper or a piece of machinery, Kix was happiest when he was dedicated to getting something going again.
His most redeeming trait was that he simply, never...gave...up.
Kix optimistically placed his gloves on, and depressed the button.
This time it didn't hesitate to start and the medic, couldn't wipe the grin from his face as he slowly guided the speeder out from the shed.
.
Jesse rolled over and commented on the monotonous throbbing sound from the garage.
"I guess that means he finally got it going?"
"Hmmm," Reed replied, as he pulled himself out of the chair. "I'm getting a drink. You want one?"
"Yeah, thanks."
.
Kix relished the air whipping past his face, the stinging sensation a welcome relief from the coveted world his helmet provided.
The scenery was beautiful.
The mere fact that he could take in the terrain instead of the scanning for Sep's was a blessed relief. He kept it at a steady pace, being in no rush to get anywhere other than where the road led.
Oriis was indeed, a beautiful planet.
As he passed a lake on his left, the water sparkled, the surface so still, he could see the clouds reflected in it.
He continued on, the sound of the motor keeping him company.
This was a unique situation, no thanks in part to Jesse. Leaving Coruscant and being hauled over to Oriis with the captain was not where he was expecting to spend his libo.
He thought of how lucky the captain was to be expecting a child. He never let on to his superior that he knew, it was personal, and he respected that.
Right now it didn't matter, he just wanted to spend his time alone, something he had never experienced before.
Kix didn't have much time after getting back from Umbara to digest the implications of the campaign.
That had been the hardest mission on them all. The death toll, the loss of the heavy gunner, the question of Rex's judgement followed by the drama and fallout back on Coruscant.
He had to move forward, there was no time to feel sorry for himself; Hardcase would want nothing less.
Time heals all wounds, starting now.
He opened up the throttle and drew in a breath as the motor surged forward.
.
"What do you want to watch?"
"I don't care, surprise me," Jesse was busy finishing a nuna steak sandwich. They both stopped, frozen to the spot when they heard the moaning from the other end of the house.
"You think they'd be tired of it," Jesse whispered.
Reed slapped his back, "it's all that good Mando'a blood brother. Here, apparently this vid has had great reviews."
.
Kix looked at the trees on his right, they were beginning to turn in colour, the red and orange just peeking through, a perfect setting for the carpet of white flowers that lay in amongst them. He could smell everything; the freshness of the air, the fragrance from the trees, even the warming leather between his thighs. His senses were in overload, and he loved it.
It was too good to be true.
Something caught his eye, then his training or intuition kicked in. He felt the adrenaline rush and had to steady himself. Not carrying, he immediately felt vulnerable and slowed down, pulling up just behind the speeder.
He could make out a person on the opposite side, squatting and pulling at something near the rear exhaust.
"Hopeless piece of dung beetle's shi - "
"Need some help," he said loudly to announce his presence.
"Oh?" The annoyed voice stood up to reveal its owner. "Yes. I believe I do."
Kix smiled and walked over slowly. "Sweet ride." He said looking at the new VX-alpha 1000. "What seems to be the problem?"
They shook hands.
'Firm, confident,' Kix appreciated the grasp, and relaxed.
They crouched down together where the area in need of attention was pointed out to him.
"I think there is something wrong with the drive chain holding the repulsor vane in place."
"Hmmm," Kix mused, "that could be a problem."
"You know bikes?"
"Yeah, I know a little." Kix nodded, "You're right. See, the chain is shot."
He grasped the link at the rear sprocket and pulled it back. "Look," Kix felt the sun warm the back of his neck, the scent of the wildflowers intensified by the midday heat. "A worn out chain rides high on the teeth, which means the sprocket bares most of the load. It only takes a little movement and the micro-arrays tilt out of balance, and won't fire."
"Uh – huh."
"Not good." Kix ran his finger along the length, feeling two repulsors slightly out of alignment. It was subtle, but his trained hand picked it up immediately.
Kix stood up. "I can have a go at tightening it, or if you are in a hurry I can spot you a lift into town."
"Hey, I have nowhere I need to be."
Kix smiled and headed back to his speeder and removed the repair kit before settling himself back down on the ground.
"You're not from around here?" Kix smiled at the question as he unthreaded the chain completely.
"No. I am originally from Mandalore. I grew up on Kamino and now live on Coruscant."
"You have been around?"
Kix laughed openly as he began running the chain through a clean cloth, "you could say that." He shuffled forward and placed himself under the speeder entirely "What brings you out in the middle of nowhere anyway? Ah, fek," he muttered as he shook his hand. He had caught it under the rear guard, scraping off a layer of skin.
"You OK?"
"Yeah, believe me, I've had worse," he said as the plasma began to ooze. He continued quickly, mentally berating himself for allowing himself to be distracted. "There, all done," ignoring the pain in his knuckles, "see if it fires up now?"
The engine turned over effortlessly.
"Thanks. It would have been a long walk into town otherwise. Here." Kix was surprised when his hand was grabbed and a piece of material was quickly wrapped around the reddened joints. He looked at the makeshift bandage and smiled, "thank you."
"We're even."
Kix stroked the material and was immediately struck by how soft it was. He watched as the bike took off down the road, a hand waving in thanks, or goodbye. Maybe both.
A warmth spread through him.
.
Reed and Jesse sat on the couch next to one another, their eyes transfixed on the screen in front of them.
"What the fek is this?" Jesse's voice raised slightly as he watched the opening credits scroll in front of them.
"Cariss calls it a chick flick." Reed said, matter of fact.
"You growing tits, ner vod,"
"Watch your mouth."
"Chick flick," he mumbled, "you still got your gett'se?"
Reed flung a small pillow at Jesse, who happily stuffed it behind him on the couch, slightly cross that he hadn't voiced his opinion earlier.
.
Kix stood on the spot for a long time and watched as the image got smaller and smaller, until he could no longer see the person he had just helped.
He looked down at his knuckles and the soft material that was wrapped around them.
Suddenly, he felt isolated, alone and realised what he was missing.
He gave so much to those under his ward, and like the captain expected nothing in return. As Kix stowed his gauntlets in the rear cargo hold under the seat, he took a moment to think about what was important.
Of all the people he helped, treated and saved, this person had proven to be the most pivotable for the medic. He wasn't fixing someone to head back into battle; he hadn't saved someone from a blaster burn or a crush injury. It was just someone in need of a hand to get going again, back to their life outside of any war.
He slowly lifted his leg over and sat in the seat and maneuvered it around.
The chance encounter had spurred him on, making him believe that it was all worthwhile; his life, those of his brothers.
He was changed.
For the better.
A little wiser now
From what you shown me.
Yeah, I can feel again [6]
6: Feel Again. Native. One Republic. 2013.
.
Reed snuffled and stood, clearing his throat as he turned the huge screen down.
"Who was he again?" Jesse asked, wiping his face on his sleeve.
"He was the dead girls, best friends, next door neighbour."
"Oh," he choked back, then added, "that was really beautiful."
.
A/N: Thanks Sly - you picked up the errors and you get the prize. Name the next scene and I will write it especially for you!