Imperial Garrison
Daro
"Push." Gregor leaned over and stared at her.
"I can't you're too heavy."
His expression was dismissive looking down from his standing position on the weight plate of the sled.
"Pfft! You did 175 pounds two days ago. Push me."
"I know my limits. You're too heavy."
"No one knows their limits until they try to exceed them. Push!"
She became aware of the eyes of the training stormtroopers on her; the gym had gone quiet. He leaned in closer.
"Cody weighed what you pushed the other day." He whispered, "You'll never get away from here, unless you get stronger. Push."
"Nar'sheb!"
"Don't use Mandoa. You don't know who's listening. Now push."
She pushed. He was heavy but he moved.
"Keep pushing. Put your back into it. Go lower. Use your legs not your arms."
She dropped lower and pushed, gaining momentum, then turned him at the end. Her legs were burning but still she pushed, if only to prove she could do it.
"There, told you so." A triumphant Gregor stepped off the weight plate at the end of the room.
"Arsehole!"
She flounced out.
"You haven't done your cool down." he shouted after her. A grin a mile wide spread across her face as she pushed the door open.
"Fuck the cool down. Was that basic enough for you?" she muttered to no one in particular.
Ryssa walked back to her quarters with a spring in her step, energised from the workout. Gregor had been right it was good for her. She felt stronger, more confident, still not up to the female stormtrooper standards; they watched her pityingly, as she lifted the tiny weights compared to theirs and when she slumped off the treadmill, breathing hard and sweating profusely but when it came to the stretching and flexibility, she beat them. She could bend into positions they could only dream about; she took that as a win.
And then the sled push. She wanted to leap in the air.
Occasionally they watched her and whispered between themselves; she didn't care, she was doing it for herself, to be as fit as possible for when she finally escaped. She held onto that thought. EmDee was slowly but surely building up information on the garrison. The strong points, the weak spots, who visited and when. Supplies had to come in by freighter and the freighters had to leave; it was their way out.
It was only a matter of time. She told herself, when she entered her quarters; no longer checking if they were watching her, all they would see was a sweaty Imperial returning from their mandatory workout to get ready for their shift.
The hot water felt good as it hit her head.
It was only a matter of time.
.
The siren sounded, the door lock hissed shut; Ryssa unsuccessfully attempted to open it, her code cylinder not working. The newbie was getting dressed ready for action, slow compared to Den at donning their armour.
"EmDee?"
EmDee's initial programming overrode everything and this was an alert therefore there was danger. He made his manipulator appear to try to open the door. He turned to the one he was protecting; he had identified danger and she had not asked him to stand down this time.
"I am unable to comply, the security logs show only essential combat personnel are allowed free reign to roam the facility looking for the perpetrator or escapee. You are not classed as essential." He lied. He was learning. Organics did not always know what was best for them, especially this one. He had referred to his memory banks since the last time. His programming included observations of how humans raised their young, which included lying to their charges, in certain circumstances, for their own good.
Droids lie as well as organics, probably better.
She huffed in response, "Keep trying."
He returned to the door and kept trying, and kept lying.
The lock down lasted two hours from when the alarm was tripped and she was bored with the newbie's spouting of the Empire's rhetoric. She had asked why she had joined up, to help pass the time, now it was stretching interminably ahead.
The all clear sounded, the door hissed open and the newbie leapt up and left. Ryssa sighed in relief, as she heard the troopers boots hitting the corridor floor; she sounded flat footed.
Did I miss that? Oh dear.
"What exactly happened EmDee?"
He accessed the security logs again.
"Captain Gregor has attempted to escape but was captured outside of the Garrison and brought back to the compound. He is alive and is currently in the brig. He was stunned."
"I need to see him. Check if he's okay. We haven't even had chance to decommission his chip." He had become evasive at times, probably because he was planning something. She grabbed a bag and headed to the brig followed closely by EmDee.
She entered, saw the guard and the security cams flashing.
"I'm here to check over the prisoner, SOP."
"Yes Captain." He saluted. At least they were obedient.
She nodded towards the door; the trooper suddenly realised what she meant and after glaring at Gregor, who snarled at him, left hurriedly, muttering an apology, as he did so. Another newbie she guessed.
"Do you have any injuries?"
"From this lot? Give me a break."
Ryssa noticed him stretching his leg out.
"What about your leg?"
"What about it?" he looked down at it.
"Let me have a look."
"Is that an order?" his mouth moved towards a smile.
"I can make it one."
"Sir, yessir." He saluted as he unclipped his leg armour.
Kneeling next to him she pulled the blacks apart. "What was it? Stun?"
"Yeah. It'll wear off soon." he said dismissively.
She scanned him, then moved upwards.
"It was my leg they hit not my head." He muttered.
She ignored him. "Make sure you keep hydrated. Here." She handed him a flask. He pulled her closer. "I won't be here much longer."
"Yeah." She pulled away from him unsure if he was delusional or not. Either way he believed he wouldn't be here much longer.
"EmDee? Let's go."
.
Ryssa checked over the results. The chip was still in but his attitude continued to imply that he would not act on any instructions, just like Howzer. She needed to be right and booked him in for the treatment the next day. She had not been able to examine many clones here, the Commandos were kept busy; she had only seen the troopers. She had instructions from Rampart and had set up like Ryloth, mass examinations for the older clones. She still didn't know if what she and EmDee were doing worked.
"EmDee? Has anything been scheduled for the next few days?"
"Not yet. Rampart will be back here in five days and you have a meeting scheduled for then with him. To update him."
"Okay. Let's get more of these these tests arranged. Have all the CT 's been done now."
"Yes. There were only three squads of the older clones stationed here and one of them has disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"When Gregor tried to escape. Assumed KIA."
Ryssa hoped they had escaped. "Are the commandos still in squads?"
"No. Not for training." EmDee scanned the current staff database and organisation, "They take squads of newbies to train, depending on their own expertise, sniper, slicer, demotions etc."
"Right have they all had their medical?"
"The newbies have," he replied. She frowned at his photoreceptors, "By that expression I have deduced you want to know why I used ' newbies' to describe the new recruits?"
"Yes."
"It is appropriate."
"Hmm. Can you find out what's going to happen to Gregor?"
"The Garrison Commander appears to be waiting for Vice Admiral Rampart."
"I thought the Commander might contact me to do some scans or use the machine on Gregor's chip."
"He does not appear to know about the function of the machine." EmDee's processor whirred again, "I can find no record of any mention of it, in his communications with Vice Admiral Rampart."
"Thanks." Ryssa chewed her lip in thought.
EmDee turned, then came back.
"Doctor Baey, Neryssa. We have never discussed your continued need to help the clones. I had initially deduced it was because you worked with them during the war. I accessed your war record when you reactivated me, but it appears to be more than that. There are anomalies in your bio readings when you are dealing with the clones, especially when you spoke with Captain Howzer." EmDee paused, "Is there anymore information that I need but am unable to access?…Do you need to tell me anything?"
Ryssa couldn't think about Den at the moment, "No. I just feel it's the right thing to do."
"Another time." EmDee replied, he had observed those anomalies again. He would check his data banks. The information would be somewhere.
.
"In you go traitor!" TK86321 spat through his helmet as he pushed the traitor, Gregor, hard into Medbay, although the traitor didn't stumble, as he hoped, he remained upright. "Ma'am." He saluted the Doctor who requested the transfer to med bay for an examination. They were always examining the clones for something. It was surprising they ever did any fighting. She stood glaring at him, hands on her hips. Not very military, but then the previous one wasn't either and he didn't last long. The sooner we replace these clones with people, the better. He stepped to the side of the door and stood there mirroring TK96784. Their orders were not to leave the traitor alone. He was good. Had survived two explosions, the battle of Sarrish and a lone mission on a practically desolate planet of Abafar. He could have taught them so much but he went rogue. TK86321 and his partner stood to attention, they hadn't been ordered otherwise and good soldiers follow orders.
He watched her examine the traitor. She was different with him, gentle. No that can't be right. The clone was a traitor who tried to escape. The Doctor coaxed him into the machine with soft words and gestures, while the droid stood nearby. She was the only one with a med droid and he hated droids. They had invaded his planet and destroyed it, but the Republic had been no better. He was getting stiff standing like this; normally they could stand at ease for prolonged periods.
The machine was scanning the clone's head; he knew what she was doing now. Checking his chip. They all had them, these vatlings. Biochips implanted when they were embryos, so the rumours went.
Was she taking it out?
He moved forward a step; feeling his comrade's helmet move towards him rather than see it. The Doctor looked up at him. He took a guilty step back, there was look on her face that he had not seen before. If he didn't know better she wished him dead at that moment.
The machine continued, with the droid taking readings and the Doctor observing. He looked at her face, his helmet recording all this. There was something about the way she looked at the clone; she was trying to keep her face blank but there was a softness about it when she looked at it. It reminded him of something—no someone. He would review it later.
"All finished. Any discomfort?" she asked the clone.
The Clone shook his head. The Doctor's face was turned away from them now.
"Any headaches?"
The clone shook his head again.
Why was she being like this with the traitor? He should either be shot or incarcerated and the key thrown away. Like those on Ryloth.
What did she say?
TK86321 thought he had missed something as his mind wandered but he saw her hand on the clone's shoulder before she turned back to them.
"You may return him to his cell. I don't want to see any more injuries on him, understood."
"Yes, ma'am." TK86321 and his partner saluted and replied in unison, like the good soldiers they were.
"Dismiss!"
They pulled him from the Medbay slapping binders on him, before dragging him away. Ryssa watched, feeling helpless.
.
The siren blared, they were alone and it sounded different. This was for an attack and standing orders were she stayed in med bay awaiting instructions on incoming casualties. She wondered who could be attacking them; there was no organised resistance against the Empire that she knew of, just localised cells on planets like Ryloth. There had been noises within the complex a few minutes earlier but no alarm sounded. She accessed the security logs.
Infiltration by parties unknown – updates pending…..
She left it on the page updating.
"EmDee! Any other info?"
"None. They're still trying to identify the attackers…." His photoreceptors dimmed again as he accessed further, "But they have breached the Brig."
"Gregor?"
"He's gone."
"We could…."
The door opened, she grabbed a coat and her med bag, kept packed, just like Coruscant and ran out into the corridor. There were casualties, that was her excuse. She wondered, why would Gregor keep saying he was going to escape unless it was to say 'come with me.'
"This way." EmDee informed her, "I am monitoring their progress. They are heading for a landing platform."
Some clone Commandos passed them.
"Keep out of our way Ma'am," one snarled, as he ran past.
"There's casualties." She shouted back.
He ignored her.
They continued steadily following the action.
.
"Are you CC5579?"
"That depends on who's asking?" Gregor studied the three Clone Commandos, from the back of his cell, even with the ray shield deactivated. He recognised them, he had heard about them, from Cody, when he came back. The Bad Batch.
"We were sent by Rex." So this was who he had sent. That brother always amazed him, especially after he came for him on Abafar, something to do with a message from that R2D2 droid and Cody thought he was the GAR's best.
"The name's Gregor." He stood up, ready to go. "There's a Doctor here, she helped me."
"Look, Rex only mentioned you, no 'lady friend'."
"She's not mine, a brother's woman. I've seen her before, on Anaxes. Rex knew her. She's in danger but she doesn't know it. There's a droid as well."
"Where?" Echo knew exactly who he meant.
"Echo?" Hunter warned him, "Let's stay together."
"Med bay second level."
"I'll double back and meet you." He was gone before Hunter could stop him.
"He's definitely a Commando." Commented Gregor, as they headed out.
.
"EmDee, where are they heading?"
"They've left the cell block, with Gregor but one is heading for the medbay."
"What? Not Gregor?"
"No. One I cannot identify."
"Let's just try and get to where they're going. Gregor will vouch for us."
"I calculate they are heading for a landing platform but they are being pursued and having to take the long way round."
"Let's go slowly."
More Commandos rushed past them.
EmDee pulled her to a stop.
"I would advise caution."
"I'm being cautious."
"It doesn't look like it."
Ryssa slowed down. Sometimes, infuriatingly, EmDee was right.
"Now what?"
"We wait."
.
Echo rushed from the Med bay, it was empty and no way to track them. A fool's errand, now he had to get back to the others through an unknown garrison full of Clone Commandos but he understood them, knew how they thought. He had been trained by them. Back against the wall, he checked the next corridor— empty—he ran down it, listening to his squad mates on their shared channel, they were heading upwards.
The next corridor was empty, they were all following Hunter and CC5579. The bodies on the floor confirmed they had been here; he leapt over them. They were no longer his brothers. He was catching the rest of the team up.
.
Ryssa watched as the Havoc Marauder pulled away. He'd got away, just like he said he would. EmDee stood behind her. Commandos with Akk dogs were converging on a point below them. One of them had not made it out.
"EmDee, Can you identify who?"
"Not from here."
She hadn't been able to see who was the last to attempt the jump. She would have been too late, they had followed the Commandos who had tracked them to this point. There were casualties in the corridor to be looked at.
"We're needed at the med bay casualties are coming in." EmDee was watching her.
She nodded, turning to retrace her steps.
"Does that include the one left behind."
"Unsure. He appears to be okay, so will be taken straight to the brig."
"Let's see if we can get in to see him."
.
Rampart had been on Kamino and returned ahead of schedule to check in on the Commander and her. Apparently the training was coming on well, although she had been privy to the dressing down the Commander had received regarding security. Rampart wanted all the Stormtroopers to be as good as as the Bad Batch, who had infiltrated the garrison and they already had a replacement for Gregor but this was an ARC. He didn't give a designation so she didn't know who.
"Which is where you come in Doctor. I want him scanned as soon as he comes on the base. And I want weekly reports direct to me."
"Yes sir. I'll arrange it straight away." She could do a good impression of a loyal Imperial, almost without trying now.
The Commander glared at her, he had never even been to see her, to make himself known to her perhaps Rampart's instructions explained this.
"Dismiss!"
That was the end of the discussion for her. The information she received about the Commando. It didn't look like anyone she knew.
.
"Good Morning, Lieutenant," she could just see his rank insignia on his armour, "had a bad night?" She said, making small talk as she went on to arrange the necessary medical instruments and the scanner. This was the new Commando, a cross trained ARC, recently transferred in from Mandalore, his tag brought up the details. She received a grunt in reply.
"You know, a droid, could have done this easily and you wouldn't have had to wait until you were here." She commented, preparing the Bacta patches.
"You know, I fekking hate droids." Came the grumbled reply, as he glared at EmDee, who luckily, for the Commando was feeling mellow today, or simply saving his retribution for later.
Ryssa's heart missed a beat at the voice; she kept her head down. She dare not look around but the voice was familiar, more than any other clone, the inflection, the cursing. Her hands returned to preparing the Bacta bandage, as EmDee prepared the scanner. She felt heat rushing to her face but did not look to confirm her suspicions. She last saw him on the shuttle from the Tribunal crash site. She checked his designation again, it was different to the one Rampart had sent.
"I also have to complete a scan on you. All clones have to have it." She continued to check her datapad.
"Do you do it?"
"With help of EmDee."
"I said, I fekking hate droids; I've spent most of my life trying to kill'em or them trying to kill me." He emphasised the 'said' when he spoke this time.
EmDee stood impassively in the corner. He was processing some information, as he prepped the scanner; she could see from the way his photo receptors had dimmed.
"He's a qualified Doctor. As qualified as I."
Turning to face the Commando, he was already looking straight at her, helmet off. A small smile hovered around his lips. He still had a shaved head. A few more scars.
He knew who she was.
Coric. She felt a flare of hope, brought down by the realisation. He's training the Stormtroopers.
"Sergeant? I think I'm in good hands with the Doctor now. Dismiss!"
"Sir?"
"Go, get a Caf, have a comfort break. That's an order." TK8303 addressed his Sergeant-in-training, who didn't seem to understand that but didn't need to be ordered again. He'd been on the wrong side of his Lieutenant's bad temper before and it was getting worse on this force forsaken planet.
.