Ryssa's quarters although small, became her sanctuary; she relaxed a little when she reached them but not totally, still checking if anything had been moved. Despite all the comments regarding her expertise she was still in Imperial Medical, on Imperial City but being seconded to various little projects with no chance to escape. Her patience was wearing thin as there had to be some way out, she just had to find it. One saving grace was EmDee, since his revelation, which she hadn't believed at first; she knew he didn't follow the Imperial protocols.
Unless they suited him.
Otherwise he had his own set of rules.
New orders came from Cahu; Ryssa noticed the Doctor was spending more time with Rampart and Admiral Tarkin. Ryssa trusted no one, Tarkin had previously fought in the Clone Wars and been touted as a hero there. She thought briefly of Echo, he hadn't been a fan of Tarkin. Presumably Rampart had fought as well but she didn't know where. She could ask EmDee to check but didn't want to push her luck.
She read the orders.
'Lord Vader needs someone used to working with clones.'
'Report to him as required.'
She was seconded to Vader's Fist, for this special mission. The work didn't bother her, as she wasn't intending to be around for much longer but Vader, he terrified her. She wasn't sure if he was fully human but he was the Emperor's Right Hand and anything to do with the Emperor filled her with fear. There were already rumours that Vader was a former Jedi. He had a red blade like a light saber and a fully deserved reputation for not liking Imperial officers, especially ones who crossed him. Rumours were that he could kill people just by looking at them and reaching out with his hand.
She shivered.
Lord Vader's mission?
To find a lost ship.
.
The news came that it had been found, crashed into an unnamed, uninhabited moon; they were heading there now. EmDee accompanied her after she had requested to use him, an organic and a droid partnership. Vader didn't seem to have a problem with that. EmDee followed her obediently up the ramp of Vader's personal Starship.
The Starship was new and aptly named the Destroyer, given Vader's emerging reputation. They left Imperial City air space and moved effortlessly into hyperspace; it was a new ship and felt like it. The journey would only take a few hours and to fill in the time, she prepped the med bay allocated to her.
"Doctor Baey?" The clone voice that abruptly ended the silence, startled her and she wasn't sure how well she hid her reaction.
"Yes?"
"Commander Appo. Here at Lord Vader's request." The stormtrooper dipped his head once. She remembered him vaguely from the Umbaran campaign, part of the 501st, a sergeant she thought. Captain Rex's second someone had said but she couldn't remember him being one of the injured.
"Yes?"
"These are Lord Vader's requirements for this mission." He held out a datapad. "Planet fall is in 2.3 standard hours. I have included the initial probe findings. He would like you to accompany the first teams down to the site."
"Of course."
The stormtrooper dipped his head again, completed a perfect 180 degree turn and left the room. She pulled up the instructions on the datapad.
A crashed ship. The Tribunal. Last Commander – Acting Commander Rex - she felt a wave of sorrow as she read the name. It was unlikely he survived; there was no details of any occupied escape pods being found nearby, only empty ones. The Empire lost contact with the ship just before the Battle of Coruscant, somewhere en route from Mandalore. Lord Vader wished to investigate this and it was conveniently on his way to Mandalore, where he had been dispatched to check on progress being made there.
"Mandalore."
"Mandalore," echoed EmDee, "Capital - Sundari, in the wastelands. Engineered bio domes. Recently ended civil war following the death of Duchess Satine Krys and the take over by Maul. Unofficial ruler, Mandalor or clan chieftain, Fenn Shysa, a member of the northern Mandalorians who mostly follow the tenants of the Resol'nare. Following the ..
"EmDee stop." She interrupted. She hadn't realised she spoken the word Mandalore out loud until EmDee, had started to give her the history and sociological explanation of the current state of the planet. She didn't need a history lesson, when she was going to Captain Rex's final resting place and possibly, Coric.
.
Kyrimorut, Mandalore.
"You alright A'den? And don't lie."
Ny's voice pulled him from his thought's as she sat next to him. He knew it was her approaching, from the sounds her footsteps made on the crisp frozen grass, the heavy boots she wore. He'd come out here to get away from Ordo and Mereel, they weren't listening to him and for the first time in his life, he felt he out of step with some of his brothers.
"I'm worried for her. We've heard nothing, Can't find out anything. It's …."
"Driving you up the wall. You can't think of anything else, Your imagination is running wild."
He looked at her. It was exactly how he felt. Apart from the feeling that if he saw any Imperial at this time, he would rip them apart limb from karking limb, slowly.
"And probably a few other things that I can't ever imagine."
He smiled. For a mongrel who had dropped into his sphere of influence out of nowhere , she understood him well.
"Kal's told me how he found you and your brothers on Kamino and what they were going to do to you, when you tiny. I'm sorry."
She had to let the apology sink in.
"He's done a great job raising you boys. But he's got a lot on his plate, what with Quail, Ruu and Arla, and I've just made it worse haven't I?"
"Not your fault Ny. You cleared it with him."
"I like him A'den. A lot. A lot more than I should do. But, if you want to talk to me, rather than bother him, you're welcome to. That's if you want to. I don't want to intrude, just help."
She pulled her coat around her shoulders, it was chilly out here. No one had mentioned that to her.
"When I lost Terin, I was like you but couldn't do anything about it except…. ask you to find out for me how he died. I needed to know. You found out for me. And I'm grateful."
He looked at this woman in front of him, who had helped them more than she needed to. He counted her as a friend, perhaps more, if his Father would only get his act together.
"Thanks."
She shuffled closer to him and looked up at the sky. "It's a beautiful night isn't it?"
"Huhuh. Ryssa would love it. No light pollution. She always loved looking at the sky but you couldn't always see the stars on Coruscant. Except in a few places.
"I always liked to stop near a planet, just for a moment, just when I'd dropped out of hyperspace. Just to see the different star formations and wonder exactly where Terin was."
"I hadn't got you pegged as a romantic Ny, more pragmatic."
"There's a lot you don't know about me."
"I am sorry about your husband."
She nodded as they both looked upwards.
The sky was clear and full of stars.
.
Unnamed Moon, Mandalore System.
Commander Appo had advised her to wear Cold Weather Kit, which in her case was thick boots, a fur-lined Parka and thermal gloves. She tucked the gloves in her pocket.
"Why Cold Weather Kit? I've researched this moon and there's nothing to indicate it's going to be that cold."
"It's the debris from the destruction of the Venator." EmDee explained, "It produced so much ash, debris and toxic metals, in its descent, that they reacted with the atmosphere, caused the temperature to drop, resulting in an unprecedented snow fall, in addition to the ash from the accident. Although the fallout appears to have ceased now. The snow has …..cleansed the atmosphere somewhat. I would recommend a rebreather as the oxygen level is depleted and oxygen starvation is not good. The experience will be similar to standing on top of a very high mountain range."
"Noted EmDee."
She picked a rebreather up from the stores on the way, although she faced an interrogation from the quartermaster droid before he released it to her.
EmDee followed obediently behind Ryssa and Commander Appo, as they left for the hanger. She was beginning to appreciate it's two personalities.
"It must be difficult coming back here?" She addressed the Commander, following a few steps behind him.
"No Ma'am. Why?"
"These men, the 332nd with Commander Rex, they were all part of the 501st originally weren't they?"
"The Clone War is over ma'am. It's the Empire we serve now. We'll be leaving in Ten. Please make sure you're in the shuttle hanger by then. Lord Vader hates tardiness."
He saluted, turned and walked on. Ryssa stood watching, unable to believe his reply. He looked to be a First Generation, like Coric, according to the files she had looked at on Kamino. Courtesy of Laun Se. He was decanted, raised and trained with his brothers on Kamino.
.
Numerous shuttles departed for the surface; EmDee accompanied her to scan for remains, as there was unlikely to be any survivors. Their shuttle followed the others in a convoy and dropped gently to the surface, clouds of ash and fluffy snow rose around the base, as they landed. Ryssa shivered, as the cold of the moon hit her; she zipped the parka up fully, pulling the fur lined hood up and fastening it tight. She pulled her gloves on, fastening them even tighter. Her uniform would not have been warm enough for this temperature. The wreckage cast a large shadow over the moon, with a morbid impressiveness to it, sitting on one side, broken, in pieces, a remnant of its former glory.
A reminder of the former Glory of the Republic.
She stepped out, into the muffled silence that accompanied the ash and snow and picked her way towards the main piece of wreckage.
"EmDee begin scanning and recording please." She was here to do a job.
"Yes. Ma'am." She never stopped anyone or anything calling her ma'am now, she felt it added a necessary distance between them.
"Please use your rebreather. I detect reduced oxygen levels."
The droid reverted to full Imperial mode, if they were ever likely to be overheard.
Ryssa pushed the rebreather in her mouth, in response, admitting to herself that she was beginning to struggle slightly to get her breath.
She ruminated on Commander Appo's attitude; he had lived and fought with these men as brothers over three years, more if he had been brought up with them on Kamino and yet he didn't acknowledge them. They walked towards the partially buried hull of the ship. Stormtroopers in winter gear were searching the wreckage on Vader's orders, scanning every scrap of debris. He was obviously looking for something particular, something special. He had not indicated to her what that could be.
"Are you getting everything EmDee?"
"Oh yes. Most interesting." EmDee stopped moving, his human-like blue steel hand faced palm downwards, scanning underneath where he was standing.
"What is?" She asked, he had a knack for understatement.
"The ancient Mandalorian Beskar-lined, Force-wielder prison, that was used to imprison Maul is beneath us. It is still intact."
"And Maul?" She had been advised, that he had been on the ship for transport back to Coruscant, to the then Jedi Council. In addition to the human remains there could be Dathomirian Zabrak and Togrutan, she had been told.
"I can find no significant Zabrak male remains. Trace only. Not sufficient for a body."
"He survived?"
"It would appear so."
"Do you have a body count yet?"
"Not an accurate one."
"Keep scanning. Lord Vader wants as much information as possible and he is not a patient …..person."
"There are remains."
"How many?"
"I am unable to be precise as some of the remains are partial."
The droid switched off his vocal synthesiser.
"EmDee?"
His voice came direct to her comlink; it had startled her the first time he did this but now she knew it happened when he was no longer in 'Imperial Mode'.
"There are solid remains, buried near to the wreckage, in an orderly fashion. With their helmets placed at their heads."
"Deliberately?"
"It would appear so."
"Someone was left alive."
"That is also my deduction."
"But they're not here now?"
"No. I detect no survivors."
"Maul would not bury clones. So…." She didn't need to say Togruta or another clone and they hadn't stayed, or reported in. They didn't want to be found. "Lord Vader…" she couldn't possibly think this. If he found out.
"He need not have the exact details." EmDee echoed her thoughts.
They headed nearer the wreckage of the ship; to a point where she could see more debris, half buried. The Clones…, no stormtroopers, did not seem bothered by what they saw. She watched Vader, he was looking down at something, in the grubby coloured mixture of ash and snow, something at his feet.
They came to a halt, EmDee standing between her and Vader. She picked up the helmet she had seen; balanced on a spike. Someone had definitely buried these clones, brothers, together. She pushed the spike slowly further into the ground with her foot, not wanting Vader to see this. Rubbing the accumulated dirt from the helmet, it confirmed what she thought. Her breath stuttered, she blinked rapidly, stopping the tears in her eyes from falling. She knew the helmet. The last time she had seen it had been on Anaxes. She had been talking to it's owner.
Jesse!
She heard a warning beep from EmDee and turned to see Lord Vader looking at her; probably sensing her distress. He walked towards her.
"That clone did his duty like many others. Like many here today."
She couldn't see if he was actually looking directly at her or not; it was more she felt it.
"Yes, My Lord." She dipped her head just like Commander Appo had.
"EmDee. Analyse this and let me have the results with the report."
She dropped the helmet into the burnished blue steel hand of EmDee.
"Yes Ma'am."
"I'll have the report ready when we are back on board, My Lord, but I can tell you now that the exact number of bodies cannot be identified. Some remains will have been disintegrated when the hyperdrive blew. The one thing I can say for certain is that there are insufficient Zabrak remains for a full body and Maul's Beskar prison is intact, and was unlocked."
A little extra 'tit bit' that EmDee had just fed her.
"So, he escaped?"
"It would appear so." She sounded just like EmDee now, or he sounded like her.
She noticed then, Vader held a lightsaber in his hands, not his own, before he simply turned and strode away.
.
She sat in the shuttle, and undid her cold weather clothes; it was oppressive wearing them in a heated environment. EmDee stood silently next to her; looking powered down to any outsider. In reality he was feeding her a running commentary, which could be distracting at times. She sat only partially listening, still thinking on the number of graves they found.
"S'good to see you again, ma'am." One of the troopers said to her. He had moved next to her, weaving through the other troopers to stand in front of her. There were limited seats, although he wasn't turned fully towards her.
"I'm sorry?" She looked up, knowing it was a clone, the voice gave him away but she was not sure who. He was an officer, he had a blue pauldron and even in his cold weather gear, he was bulkier than the others. An ARC or commando.
IC.8303 - Coric. EmDee supplied.
"IC.8303." She intoned
Coric. The one name I mentioned to Sa Cuis and he's here, making himself known to me. Why? Am I that paranoid? Yes. I am..
"Yes. Ma'am." He turned and saluted, "glad you remembered me."
His helmet turned away but she knew he could still be watching her. Memories flooded back, ones she couldn't afford to indulge in at this time. She opened up her datapad and studied the data EmDee had retrieved, whilst he gave her a breakdown of the elements detected in the atmosphere.
.
Coric watched her reading the datapad, or pretending to, she hadn't scrolled down a page in the last two minutes. He scanned the med droid; although it was not a model he knew, it looked perfectly serviceable.
She looked good, despite it being nearly two years since they last spoke. Rex had kept him up to date with what she was doing, where she was, when he was able to find out.
He had seen Jesse's helmet and said his words of remembrance over it but he had not found Rex.
He found the quiet times were the worst, and it was quiet on the moon. He had been trying to forget the night of Order 66, when he saw her, surprised that she was in that uniform.
He was just as surprised to be here himself.
.
The Med Bay was empty, but she would have been surprised had there been anyone there; she and EmDee started work on the report to be sent direct to Lord Vader. They would have to be careful here. Someone, or indeed several of the passengers had escaped the carnage of the crash.
EmDee was efficient and produced the evidence whist she completed the conclusion.
"Lord Vader found a lightsaber."
"Where?"
"Near the wreckage."
"Now you tell me."
She checked the report, it seemed to flow and she hoped, no prayed that Vader accepted it and didn't query any part of it. She added extra figures on the numbers of the trace amounts of Togruta DNA that EmDee found; it looked enough to indicate a body.
Etain had died but if another Jedi could survive by her and EmDee's actions, so be it.
"So much for keeping a low profile." She muttered to him.
She heard that weird wheezing beep again. If she didn't know any better she would say it was laughing.
A/N: I've decided the Moon is in the Mandalore System and Vaders visit would happen fairly quickly because he would want to find Ahsoka and Maul.