Lessu, Ryloth.

The clone examinations were not going well; Ryssa was still not happy about using the Level Five Scanner. She stood back staring at the machine that had been delivered; It looked much more than a scanner. She needed to understand the machines she used and how they worked, it was one of her foibles. What effect they had on the body. More so now.

"It just doesn't look like the scanners I've used before." She walked around it, frowning. The more she looked at it, the more she was convinced it did something other than just scan but she just couldn't pin it down.

Am I being over paranoid?

"Can you examine it EmDee? Find out exactly how it works and if there are likely to be any….. side effects." finally relenting to his previous offers.

Although the clones had transitioned to stormtroopers, they were still clones and she had a soft spot for them all. She may not trust all of them any longer but she was not going to endanger them. After all, she had taken an oath when she registered as a Doctor and part of that was 'Do No Harm.'

"You will have to use another scanner." EmDee instructed, as he pulled the side of the machine off and scanned the inner workings of the supposed Level 5 Atomic scanner. "Until I find out exactly what it does. It appears to be Kaminoan technology that I am not familiar with."

"Kaminoan?" She asked, "You sure?" immediately suspicious, and continuing to frown at it. She definitely wasn't using it now.

EmDee pulled away from his investigation, processing the information and began to adjust her hand scanner. It was the one that A'den had given her and was sensitive already. She stood drinking her caf, fingers tapping the side of the mug nervously.

EmDee handed her the scanner and was just about to explain his findings, when clone footsteps thumping down the corridor disturbed them. She recognised the footsteps easily, then the sound of a child, in pain. She looked at EmDee for corroboration, thinking she must have misheard. But there was someone heading this way. They waited, pausing what they were doing, unsure if the cause of the noise would pass them by.

"It hurts, Captain."

No definitely a child's voice, Twi'lek.

"We're here now." A clone voice.

"EmDee?"

The door flew open, Captain Howzer's bright blue armour backed through the door to avoid them hitting the child he carried carefully, "Sorry to trouble you Doc but could you just have a look at Hera, she's had a little accident.

"Yes, of course. Just over there." Ryssa answered automatically, pointing to the gurney. EmDee hovered around her, his demeanour changed

"Ooh." The green Twi'lek child moaned again.

Ryssa hated hearing children cry; it always hit a primal protection instinct in her. Although this one was a little older than most she had seen; she changed her normal no nonsense approach, taking it slower, smiling.

"Hi, my name's Ryssa." She stood on one side, while Howzer, someone familiar, was on the other side. He had removed his helmet, looking concerned. EmDee hovered around her head. "I need to scan your arm. Is that okay?"

The little girl nodded.

EmDee, she asked quietly, "What analgesic do we have for children?" Not up to date with current guidelines and then gently to the little Twi'lek, "So what's your name?"

"Hera." She answered, before biting her lip.

"Just a little bit longer, you are doing so well." She gently lay her arm on the gurney and scanned it but she could see immediately that it was broken; now she needed to find out exactly where for the bone knitter to concentrate on the specific break, hopefully only the one.

"My friend's a Twi'lek and you sound just like her."

The child was biting down hard trying not to cry and Howzer was looking even more worried. Ryssa found that endearing, that he cared about a Twi'lek child.

"EmDee?"

"2ml Numbspray is correct."

She sprayed the area.

"There, that should help. It's broken, I'm afraid. But we can soon sort that out." She tried to be as soothing as possible; it had been a while since she treated children.

"Small size Bone knitter EmDee."

He handed one immediately to Ryssa, then spoke gently to Hera. "Don't worry little one. Doctor Ryssa will sort it out." Ryssa smiled, his voice bringing back pleasant memories. He held the child's hand, while he pushed it under her arm, as Ryssa spread Bacta gel on the skin, then they closed the bone knitter around her arm, activating it. The pain would soon start to subside.

"So, Hera. That's a lovely name." Ryssa checked the settings, adjusting them.

"Thank you. What's your friend's name?"

"L'leth—How did you manage to do this?"

Hera looked at the Captain, then Ryssa, panic in her eyes. Obviously something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

"You won't get into trouble."

The Captain cleared his throat, "Speeder accident."

"Driving a speeder? Wow!"

"Chopper was supposed to be driving but I like doing it and I really want to be a pilot, in space. I was just trying to practice. It was the rycrit's fault."

She looked at Howzer, "It's a small animal kept for food."

Ryssa nodded, "A pilot's a good thing to be. A lot of pilots help people." She was thinking of Ny.

"Yes. I want to help people and I want to go places. Away from here." She looked at Ryssa, suddenly deciding that she could trust her and opening up. "Doctors are good because they help people, don't they."

Ryssa didn't want to shatter the child's illusions but she didn't particularly feel like a good person at the moment.

"That's why I became a Doctor."

Hera was calming down, when Ryssa heard more footsteps, and several harried accented voices coming along the corridor.

Three Twi'leks pushed into the examination room; Hera looked scared, Ryssa moved in front of her but she saw immediately that the female was her mother, the likeness was amazing and backed away leaving her to be near her daughter, as any mother would want to be.

"Hera? Are you alright." The Twi'lek female leaned in close to her daughter, her arm around her, the accented voices reminded Ryssa of L'leth.

"I will be, Mother. This lady Doctor and her droid have sorted me out. I've got a bone knitter." She proudly pushed her arm in front of her Mother's face, as EmDee, wheezed and beeped. Another droid pushed its way towards him and made some weird noises and jabbing motions with his manipulators towards EmDee, who replied in kind.

"EmDee!" She glared, the same time as someone with an accented voice, admonished "Chopper!"

The Twi'lek turned towards Ryssa and fixed her with a Mother's stare.

"She will need to keep it on for two to three days. There's also some Bacta in there. I know it may sound old fashioned using a bone knitter but it will stabilise the bone and for young bones it's the best way. They're still growing."

The female nodded, while the two males just watched, suspiciously.

Ryssa continued, "Then after that, she'll need a splint for a little while. I can prescribe some analgesia if she needs it but it was a fairly clean break and the bone knitter will help with the initial pain."

Ryssa gave her explanation knowing the parents would be worried, then Howzer finally introduced them.

"This is Cham and Eleni Syndulla, Hera's parents and Gobi Glie. A friend." Ryssa had studied the background pack Rampart gave her but she already knew about Cham Syndulla, the freedom fighter—The Hammer of Ryloth, from the War. This was Hera's father and her mother. She wasn't sure who the other person was but Hera obviously knew him, as she pushed her bone knitter in front of his face to examine.

She leaned over to Hera, "When you get a splint you can have people write or draw on it." Hera smiled, suddenly shy in front of her parents.

"Finally the Empire's good for something." Growled Glie.

Ryssa didn't need to ask him what he meant.

"Thank you so much for the treatment." Eleni was perfectly polite, but there was the normal suspicion that Ryssa was starting to recognise on the people of the planets they were on. Not that she blamed them, not after Raxus and she, despite her feelings, was still part of this.

I really need to get out.

"She was the nearest medical personnel Cham." Howzer almost apologising for using her.

"That's okay, Captain, thank you."

The Twi'leks seemed alright with Howzer, comfortable, almost friendly, although Glie was glaring at her.

"Any problems, bring her straight back, and definitely bring her after two days, I'll check it and do the splint.

.

Kyrimorut, Mandalore.

The hunt for Ryssa had reached a dead end. There were no sign of her anywhere, no images no audio nothing from any contacts and then something else happened.

Gibad.

They watched, transfixed, on the Holonet, as the Empire destroyed all life on the planet in an act of petty retribution and A'den had noticed, at that moment, just how much Mij liked the scientist that had been hopefully going to reverse their rapid ageing. That seemed to be something else that had come to a dead end.

It seemed insensitive to keep going on about Ryssa lost in the Empire, with that just happening. He resolved to try and help his father as much as possible, because at this time he wondered if their lives could get much more complicated?

Three ex Jedi, a force sensitive child, an ex Republic scientist who pissed off the Emperor, two houses full of clone deserters, an abducted Treasury Agent and one potentially insane ex Death Watch member not to mention, three abandoned brothers and one lost wife. And his Father took it all on board.

He needed to do more to help his family but he wouldn't forget her, he couldn't. She had been the one he thought about when he was on missions, in addition to his brothers and father. She had grounded him. He had a plan, he just needed the right time to execute it.

He had frightened himself when he attacked his ori'vod; the amount of anger he had, that frightened him and how quickly it manifested. He knew he was just as damaged as any of his brothers and as much as Ordo hated being called ori'vod, that's what he was. It was he and Mereel who had taken the lead and pulled Kal's blaster ready to kill the Kaminoans, to protect them all. He needed to follow his lead, for the moment, it was time to get his act together to support and protect them.

Ryssa would not want them to be pulled apart or in danger, any of them.

.

Imperial Garrison, Ryloth

"So that was the Hammer of Ryloth?"

"He is, why?" Howzer followed her around the room. EmDee had adjusted her scanner; it should now pick up the inhibitor chips.

"Is he always that intense?"

"Pretty much, that's how he got things done." He jumped on the gurney for his examination.

"I get the sense that it was very much a partnership."

"It was. Eleni has just as much a strategic brain as he has and picks up on people's emotions."

Ryssa nodded, as she set up her scanner. "So the Senator…."

"Ori'buyce, kih'kovid."

"Ah.." she couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the description, it was apt.

Howzer frowned for a second, "You understand Mandoa."

"I picked up a little. Now your examination." She moved the scanner slowly around his head. It should pick up the chips… just. EmDee had done an excellent job on the adjustments until they were able to examine the Kaminoan equipment in more detail and adjust it, if necessary.

"So why all the examinations now, and why only generation one, like me and my squad? They're all good lads."

He sat quietly, as she walked around him. "Just routine. What happened here?" She had noticed the tiny well healed scar on the right hand side of his head, partially hidden by his buzzed hair.

"Got blown up. That's how I got these scars, as well." He pointed to his face, "Was in Bacta for a while, can't remember how long and when I woke up was sent straight back down here. Lucky because the Medical frigate was targeted by the Seppies just hours later and blown up."

He found her surprisingly easy to talk to, for an Imperial. Too easy.

"So you don't know what they actually did to you." She studied the results.

"No, I was fit to fight afterwards, so never asked and medical records for that time are all gone."

"Any headaches?"

"No never."

"Good."

Howzer looked at the Kaminoan scanner, half dismantled. "Why aren't you using that?"

"I like my own equipment, just like you like your own blasters."

He snorted, right hand going to his blaster, "Know what you mean."

"So what did Glie mean about the Empire?" She felt it was directed at her, not simply the Empire.

"Glie's hardcore. Isn't sure about the Empire."

"None of us are." She stopped scanning, realising what she had said. She felt Howzer's eyes on her, "what I mean," she back tracked, "Is that it's still early days for the Empire."

Shit. He's just too easy to talk to.

"Yeah. It's not the Republic."

She changed the subject, "Why weren't you able to find a Twi'lek doctor or droid?"

"Twi medics are in short supply, a lot were killed during the war because they were on the front lines and medical droids…..well….you don't forget seeing thousands and thousands of B1 battle droids marching down the Main Street of your town or crossing the bridge into your capital. It leaves scars."

"Hmm. You been here a long time?"

"Since the beginning. Got promoted after Keeli bought it. I was on a mission with Cham."

"I never came near Ryloth."

"I didn't realise you served…before."

"Coruscant, Ord Cestus, then with Roan Shryne."

They both went quiet.

"If there's anything I can do to help."

"I'll pass it on."

.

Old Ryloth Freedom Fighters HQ

"So you trust her?"

Howzer thought for a few seconds, he did. "Yes."

"Why?"

"She was in the war, just like us."

"So was Tarkin."

"She only wants to help."

"Us?"

"Anyone, I think. She's a Doctor."

"An Imperial one."

"She was with the Republic."

"Much good they did us."

"Gobi we're not at war anymore. This is the peace you've all been fighting for."

"Now you're sounding like Cham and Rampart."

"It's always time for peace." Eleni's voice rang out, "But whether this is that time remains to be seen." She stood next to them, "But there is something about her. Hera is fully recovered due to her."

"You as well?" Gobi grinned. "What does Cham think about this?"

"You know what he thinks. He hasn't changed."

"He has, his son died." There was an awkward silence in the room. "I'm sorry." Gobi knew he had overstepped the mark in his need to protect his home world.

"I know. So are we going to give her a chance?"

"Okay." Glie grumbled.

.

Underground Cave System, Ryloth

Ryssa was following the large Twi'lek, she thought, as Howzer held her arm. EmDee immediately behind her on the repulsor lift, with the supplies; the tunnels seemed to go on forever, not that she could see through the blacked out helmet.

She was surprised they had agreed to her offer.

"Will anyone come? I mean, I'm an Imperial, will they really let me treat them?"

"They're desperate. They'll let anyone treat them." Gobi replied.

"Well that explains it." She replied, hearing Howzer snort in his bucket. "So where are we?"

"Under Nabat."

"Okay…that doesn't really mean anything to me."

"Good." Gobi replied, she accepted that they didn't fully trust her and why.

"Sorry about the blindfold and powering down your droid." Howzer said, his voice low, as he removed the helmet from her eyes. "Gobi insisted."

"I understand. It can take a while before you trust people, especially in the Empire. Its new. It's what keeps you alive." She blinked to try and adjust her eyes.

Gobi turned to stare at her from in front of Howzer.

"So when did you start trusting me?" Howzer asked.

"When I saw your head injury."

His voice went low, his head near hers, "We need to talk more about that, and my squad."

They had finally stopped moving and EmDee powered up, unfolded, very similar to a B1 battle droid; she could see them both watching him carefully, hands hovering around their blasters.

"That was most uncivilised." he asserted.

If he had lips she swore he would have pouted. "But necessary. Not everyone trusts us and we needed to get as many people here as possible, the ones who need treatment."

"I don't think there is any problem there." Muttered Howzer.

The cave slowly lit up, light after small light, like still fire flies. Ryssa couldn't stop her gasp as she saw the numbers standing and sitting there.

"How? Why?…"

"The war, there was always a shortage of Bacta and then medics…..often died in the field." This was Eleni, "now the Empire controls Bacta. So we're no better off."

Ryssa took a deep breath, they could do this.

"Can someone triage?"

A few of the twi'leks rose and moved forward. She realised then how thin many of them really were.

"Food shortages haven't helped either." Howzer noticed her look.

Ryssa knew about those, the seige and how Senator Organa had foiled the blockade but it would have only been a stopgap solution in an ongoing war situation.

.

Four hours later and the last child had been seen; Ryssa sank onto a convenient rock, back and shoulders aching. Luckily there had been no serious illnesses or injuries, chronic and painful —yes, because they'd just been left but could be dealt with by simple remedies, which she had in abundance. A number were suffering from malnutrition; she could treat the symptoms but not the underlying condition. A few of the babies needed some inoculations and had never been checked over but on the whole the outcome was good.

"That was a good clinic. Good results."

Gobi towered above her, "That's just the ones that were desperate enough to come, some still don't trust you. But word will spread."

"I'll do tomorrow night then."

"I'll hold you to that."

They sneaked back, through the caves, helmet back on; Howzer accompanied her to her quarters.

"Thank you for that. These people have been through a lot. Are you sure about tomorrow, actually later today really?"

"Yes, tonight." After what she'd seen she wouldn't rest knowing there were more needing her help.

"Better get some sleep."

Ryssa smiled, "We need to do your squad's examinations." Rampart had been off world so hadn't bothered her but he would ask. She knew he would.

.

Three hours sleep didn't do much for your eyes, and the bags under hers felt huge. Now she had clones to examine. She had decided on full Medicals to stop their questions and now EmDee had his results on the device.

"The device interfaces with the implanted inhibitor chips. But until I actually have one to examine, I cannot be sure but it may make them more effective."

"More effective? So I was correct to use another scanner."

Was this what reconditioning on Kamino was? Reconditioning the chips?

EmDee beeped. "I may be able to lessen the effects of this crude device."

"What do you mean lessen the effects?"

Deactivate the chips?

"I maybe able to reduce the effects of the chips."

"Work on it."

And after finding no chip in Howzer she needed to see him again. The door opened with the Good Captain backing in carrying two large mugs of steaming Caf instead of a Twi'lek.

"Do you read minds as well Captain? Caf was just what I was thinking about."

This is getting dangerous. I am too at ease with this man.

He handed over the mug, "Last of the GAR strength caf."

"Just how I like it." She looked at him from under her lashes.

Are you flirting with me? The thought crossed Howzer's mind.

"So my injury?" He came back to business.

She already knew they were shielded, anything to do with the scanner and EmDee had manipulated the sec cams.

"All the first generation clones, apart from the Nulls, Alphas and Commando's had what the Kaminoans called inhibitor chips implanted in their brains, in vitro. You don't."

Howzer didn't move, a muscle. He was remembering. On the medical frigate. He had thought it was a dream, much like the others that he could never remember but no longer had.

"What the Fek is that?"

"Don't know but it needs coming out. It's infected already."

"Keep him still, vod."

"Sedate him."

"Howzer? You okay?"

He shook his head, hand touching the scar "Everyone?"

She nodded.

"What do they do?"

"They were supposed to inhibit the more dangerous, individualistic tendencies of Jango."

"Supposed to…?"

"I think and this is only a guess….they were implanted to make you more compliant to any Orders that you may dispute."

"Order 66 and 37." They were the only ones he thought that he could possibly disagree with. "So what happened to mine?"

"Looks like it was removed during your treatment after the explosion."

His hand went to his head again, touching the small scar. He knew it had been touch and go but they had never mentioned anything and now he couldn't check.

"My squad are all older clones, the others are all newer, shinies or just after the Empire."

.

Underground Cave System

Another night of treating the civilians and more came than before; the same Twi'leks helped with the triage. They had an efficient system and she was in her element.

Howzer watched her as she picked up the young Twi'lek.

He read the Mother's lips.

"She's not thriving."

He watched as she examined the child looking so natural with her, then said something to the Mother. He couldn't see what the Doctor said but then she gave a packet to the Mother and turned towards him.

He looked away, embarrassed at being caught watching her.

Gobi walked up and stood next to Howzer, "So why is she with the Empire?"

"No idea."

"More to the point, why are you?"

"You know why, I don't have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice, you've just got to make it." Gobi looked at the Doctor treating the sick children he had brought in. He didn't trust the Empire and he shouldn't be trusting her but he did, so far. She was doing a good job, perhaps Howzer was right she only wanted to help. He nodded towards her. "My sister's been gone for a while. You could move on. She'd want you to."

Howzer just looked at his fighting comrade, as sadness crossed his face.

"I've seen you watch the Doctor," he continued, "you're interested. She likes you, I can tell. The look in her eyes when you talk to her."

"Pfft! I'm just a clone."

"Now you're insulting the memory of Aola."

"I didn't mean…"

"I know." He put his hand on Howzer's shoulder, "She would want you to move on."

Howzer sighed, it had been a while.

"You just have to make a choice." Gobi pressed him.