212th Barracks

Mayday dragged a hand down his face, it felt like sandpaper. One day he promised himself he would just let it grow; he hated shaving and the GAR depilatory cream you received just didn't feel right and left your beard patchy. He stood up and stretched out his back; He'd spent hours staring at the lists of brothers on his datapad and needed to move. He checked his chrono; he still had time to check over the new shinies squad, shower and shave, before he went to see Hela again. He slung down the datapad and headed towards the landing bay.

Acknowledging the troopers as he walked along the corridors; he spoke to a few. Waxer and Boil were together. He smiled as they bickered when he walked past them. They were joined at the hip. He finally reached the landing bay, where he saw Veetch already standing ready to meet the new arrivals.

"Everything okay sir." Veetch stood with his helmet tucked under his arm, watching the latest shuttle pulling in. It glided to a halt and the ramp lowered, discharging the brand new shiny troopers. They stood to attention in well practised synchronised steps as soon as they saw their greeting party.

"Too much flimzi work."

Mayday didn't need to look to know Veetch smiled for a split second, as they walked towards them. The shinies straightened up, as they saw their superiors approach.

Veetch and Mayday stood in front of them. Mayday had never been in this position, so he couldn't empathise with them. He had been deployed with thousands of his brothers to the first Battle of Geonosis. He studied them.

"Buckets off." Ordered Veetch.

The shinies removed them as one and came to attention, a row of clones looking identical with regulation hair and armour. All white and shiny, and very young.

"Kriff! They're getting younger. Are they even shaving yet?" Muttered Mayday, "Did we ever look that young?"

"I don't think so," replied Veetch, as he looked along the line, "We probably look ancient to them."

"Grizzled old men." Mayday whispered.

"Speak for yourself." Mayday heard Tank whisper behind him.

"Watch it Bacta Boy!" Mayday replied. He heard a snort in response; the Sergeant had spent a lot if time in bacta recently.

One stepped forward.

"CT- 27091 - 235. Sergeant. Squad reporting for duty sir." He held out a datapad, "Our orders and particulars sir."

Mayday took the datapad and looked at him. He really did look young, especially for a sergeant which was his designation, a role identified for him by the Kaminoans since he was the equivalent of a toddler.

Veetch walked along the line looking them up and down; they were perfect examples of Kamino clones. Just like Hexx had been when he first deployed. He'd relaxed a little now and grew a moustache.

"Names!" Veetch barked out. He could see they had clocked his pauldron; Mayday had followed Cody's lead and had dispensed with his, except when they were on missions. The shinys looked blankly at him.

"Kriffin hell!" He muttered.

"You need to choose names, it's quicker on the battlefield to shout a name than a full CT number. The Jedi like it. Then report to the Quarter Master for your paint. You're in the 212th now."

"Sir, yes sir." They came to attention and saluted as one.

"Sergeant Tank will show you the way." Veetch watched them follow Tank who had been waiting behind him. He dreaded thinking about what he was telling them but on the plus side if they followed what Tank did they would have a higher survival rate than normal.

Mayday was reading the datapad of their results from Kamino, "The squad came in the top 1%, everyone of them. A good mix, medic, sniper, tech, heavy weapons demolition. I'm surprised they weren't upgraded."

"You know the Kaminisii. They like their parameters. If you don't fit in." He drew an imaginary line across the front of his neck, "They will have forced themselves to fit in."

"We'll have to see what they've got then."

"Sir? That sounds ominous."

Mayday smiled.

"We'll set up some training for everyone."

"Yes sir. I like where you're going on this."

"We could put Tank in charge."

"Tank?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No. I want to recommend Tank for promotion to Lieutenant." Veetch added.

Mayday smiled, "Agreed, I was thinking of that myself, especially with the extra Sargeant's we have coming on board." Mayday pushed his datapad in front of Veetch, showing the recommendation already written out.

"Thank you sir."

"Thought anymore about a move up yourself?"

"I'm fine where I am sir, as your second, especially with this new team we're putting together."

"Hmm! Third Army RRT." Mayday said, "Doesn't actually roll off the tongue does it?"

"No. Perhaps we can think of something better."

"Yes, perhaps. I'm going to report to Cody then off for the night but you can always contact me."

"Booty call?"

Mayday stopped dead, tilted his head and didn't answer, simply saying, "See you later."

.

"Commander!"

"Sir." Mayday came to attention as the General walked towards him in the Mess Hall.

"How is it going with the new…. company." he asked. Sometimes the General seemed unsure of the correct military procedures and terms.

"We are gradually building up the ranks. The new squad from Kamino shuttled in an hour ago. Just need to get them up to speed in the real war."

"I'm sure that won't take long. I can see you have a good few veterans sprinkled in there as well."

"We'll need them."

"Unfortunately yes, although I often wish we didn't." The regret was on General Kenobi's face for a few seconds but he didn't let it stay any longer.

"Yes sir."

"If you need anything, let me know."

"Yes sir. Probably more paint for the new intake."

The General smiled, "Noted. I'll let you get on."

"Yes sir. Oh sir." Mayday hesitated, he may be treading on delicate ground here, "Thank you for letting Ms Nim do the concert. She explained that you helped facilitate it. It was most appreciated."

"Oh she did, did she? I don't think it was ever a question of letting her do anything. She can be quite persuasive when she wants to be. She went right to the top. The Chancellor."

"Oh. Well thank you for not making it any more difficult for her."

"Any time Commander." The General sauntered off with his tea, nodding to various troopers as he passed them.

Mayday wasn't sure how much the General knew about his relationship with Hela. He had heard he had been preoccupied with his own problems with the Duchess from Mandalore of all people.

.

Mayday knocked on the Commander's office door, the gruff "Enter!" came back within seconds.

"Mayday. How is it going?"

"Slowly. This is the latest."

He pushed the datapad to him; Cody took it, looked at it, then looked up at Mayday and frowned.

"You can sign this off yourself. It doesn't have to come through me." He leaned back in his chair, "So what's this about? Not official?" And pulled open his drawer.

"Hmm!"

"Sit!" Cody put two shot glasses on the desk and a flask, "It's not very often you're lost for words."

He poured a shot into each.

"I don't normally drink this early but it's been a bad filmzi day."

He pushed one over to Mayday. Both clones picked theirs up and downed it; Cody refilled them.

"501st's?" Mayday asked.

"No."

"You're right, too smooth. Must be 104th."

"Good guess."

"At least it isn't from the Galactic Marines." Mayday said before he sipped it, after the first one, it went down smoother.

"Yeah, Neyo must really hate me." Cody replied, remembering the last batch the Commander had sent over. It could strip the paint off anyone's armour, including Katarn; in fact he had used it to remove a particularly stubborn blaster mark before repainting his own. He wouldn't normally bother but it was in a difficult position and large.

"So Hela? Is that who you want to talk about?"

"What? No." Mayday swirled his moonshine around the bottom of his glass.

"It's none of my business what you do in your own time. You know that."

"I didn't know if you'd had any ideas there?"

"No thank you. Too high maintenance for me. "

Mayday glanced across, "Nothing else? Like the General warning you off?"

"No."

"Or the Chancellor?"

"A bit late, you're already there."

"Nothing gets by you does it?"

"No." Cody put the flask back in his drawer and leaned back on his chair, "You don't need my permission and you don't need the General's or the Chancellor's. There's nothing in the regs."

He watched the brown liquid swirl around in his glass, "If you really want my opinion. Our lives are short enough and the Kaminoans never even considered this, so Kriff them." He raised his glass to Mayday, "Take your comfort where you can ner vod."

Mayday clinked his glass next to his brothers and downed the last dregs.

"You've got two days. Will you be ready?"

"In a fashion."

"Good." He stared at his subordinate, "make the most of it. Command is demanding you be used in action asap. The General has negotiated for you the two more days. Then you'll be deployed wherever you're needed."

"Yes sir. In that case we'll be ready."

"Good!"

Mayday didn't move.

"Haven't you got somewhere to be? Make the most of it."

Mayday didn't need telling twice.

.

Hela's Apartment Building

The lift came down quickly and the doors opened, he held them as he saw the older woman he had spoken to before walking towards him, using a cane, which looked to be more for effect than support. She wasn't doing bad for an older natborn. He had seen some specimens that he wondered how they even stayed upright.

"Ma'am." He said, standing to attention. It didn't matter that she was a retired Admiral.

"Good Evening Commander. It's good to see you again." Her voice rang through the reception area. It was still strong despite her age. She would have been formidable when she was serving. He stood to one side to let her enter. She nodded as she walked through the doors.

"Thank you. It's good to see that good manners have not totally disappeared young man."

Mayday pressed her floor button.

"You remembered. Most young people find older people almost invisible. This is refreshing."

"Ma'am." He wasn't sure what else to say.

The nondescript music filled the lift as they travelled upwards.

"Nothing like Hela's voice, is it?" She commented.

"No ma'am."

"Sometimes I would hear her practice on her balcony and the music and her voice would drift below to my floor, unless there was a lot of traffic."

Mayday couldn't remember seeing a balcony at Hela's but he had other things on his mind the last time he was here. Finally the lift stopped and the doors slid open.

"Have a good night, Mayday. May I call you that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The ex admiral smiled at him, "I look forward to seeing you again Mayday."

She strode out of the lift with a strength and at a pace that belied her years, her cane almost swinging at her side.

.

"I'm not sure how you found these." Hela looked at the various playing cards and table games that Zur had laid out on the large dining table.

"I was sorting through your dresses putting them in colour and occasion order—again." He didn't trust the droid, which was just as likely to put a heavily embroidered evening dress into a hot clean as it was a delicate one, "when I found them pushed in a box at the back. Naturally I was curious."

"Naturally." Hela commented sarcastically.

Zur ignored her, "They need to be on display because they are beautiful antiques."

"They were my fathers."

"Ah." That went some way to explain why they were put away, "They should be on display, they would add something to the Apartment."

"So you're an interior designer now." She swirled her water around in her glass, it always tasted better out of a glass.

"No but I know what I like."

Hela looked around. She hadn't put anything personal about, despite having the apartment for several years, even the Chancellor had personal items around his Apartment, although she didn't particularly like most of the items he had. All she had were the plom blooms that Mayday had brought her and they would eventually die off.

She picked up the Dejarik piece and turned it over in her fingers, this was a hand carved antique, whereas most games were holoversions now. She pulled all the others out of the box and set them up on the circular board.

"I used to play this with my father. He taught me."

"I didn't realise. You didn't say."

He watched her stare at the pieces laid out on the board.

"You're right, they should be on display because they are beautiful."

"Do you have anything else?"

"A few bits here and there. All packed up. Most of the items were left behind on Naboo."

"We could get them out."

"We could."

"Come on then." He pulled her up.

She resisted.

"Come on!" He held out his hand.

She relented and went to retrieve the boxes he found.

.

They sat with the Sabacc cards laid out for a game.

"So—soldier boy. Why him?"

"He's different."

"I hate to break it to you but there are thousands like him."

"Not that I've met. He's not like anyone I've met before."

"What is it then—curiosity? Pity?"

"No!" She replied vehemently.

Zur raised his hands, "It's just I have heard…."

"Heard what?"

"Some people just want to see what they're like, if they're normal."

"That's disgusting. He's normal in every way. He's got a six-pack that looks like a cobbled street in Theed and a chest like a suit of armour, covered with a layer of subcutaneous as thin as a sheet of flimzi."

Zur smiled, "That's not normal."

Hela ignored him, "and yet…."

"Yet what?" Zur watched her; he was now hoping that nothing happened to this clone; not something that he had ever envisaged he would wish.

"Nothing."

"If he ever hurt you."

"Ahhh! I'm touched."

They both looked up when they heard the door.

"Looks like that's my cue to leave."

Hela smiled, "If you don't mind. I will make it up to you. Where are you going?"

"I've got a friend."

"You must bring them over one night."

He shrugged.

"Not that kind of friend?" She asked.

"No."

"Okay. Just be careful."

She looked up, as Mayday entered. In his greys again, other than his fatigues, he had nothing else to wear.

"Hela!"

"Hi!"

Zur glanced between the two, feeling completely invisible, "Okay, I'll be going. See you later."

"Bye." Hela murmured but didn't take her eyes off Mayday. The door closed.

Mayday was beside her.

"Hello again."

"I wasn't sure if…..."

"If what?" He finished for her.

"If you would come back."

"Said I would, didn't I?"

"Yes, but…."

"But what?"

"Nothing—I've got some food in."

"I didn't come for the food." His eyes darkened.

They were already standing so close their bodies touched; Mayday reached around and cupped the back of her neck holding her firm, as he made his intentions known with a passionate kiss that surprised her after the short conversation. He deepened it and she opened her mouth in response allowing his action to send spikes of arousal through her. She reached up to hold onto his shoulders, as she hit the wall.

He dragged her trousers and underwear down, without letting go of her lips; she shuffled out of them kicking them somewhere, so intent she was on him. She fumbled desperately with his trousers, until they finally dropped and she palmed his erection.

His groan, aroused her further, "May—" she murmured as he bent his knees, then lifted her by the buttocks and she wrapped her legs around hips, allowing him to drive into her, pushing her back hard against the wall.

The involuntary "Aagh!" She let out slowed Mayday down; his face dipped into her neck.

"You okay?" He asked, his voice low and husky, between hurried breaths.

"Yes," she panted into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tight. This was a first for her.

He started a slower, regular rhythm, as Hela held onto him, her arousal building with each thrust, her breaths coming faster, irregular, as he kissed her hard. There was nothing she could do but give herself to the sensations building up in her; then he adjusted his stance. Holding her against him with one hand splayed on her back, his other propping them both against the wall. Then moving faster, he hit a different spot, his head dipped towards her shoulder; she finally cried out, stiffening for several seconds as her climax washed over her.

Mayday's held her, feeling her responses, then speeded up. He finally came with a series of stuttering erratic thrusts grunting softly into her neck.

They stood like for a few seconds until he lowered her gently to the floor. Her knees buckled and she held onto him to steady herself.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Replied Mayday.

.

212th Barracks

"Fierfek!" Veetch checked his datapad again. He was monitoring Mayday's messages. He'd been com silent since he left last night. He headed towards the squad room at the double, they needed to get prepped they had been called to provide reinforcements

Veetch tried Mayday's comlink for the fourth time. He was in his greys so he couldn't contact him on his bucket channel. He activated the squad channel, putting out a search for him, or his comlink.

He had to be found fast; they had a deployment time.

.

Hela's

Hela woke to a warm, muscular body lying next to her; she stretched and turned to find Mayday looking at her.

"Good morning!" He said, "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Extremely thank you." She nuzzled into his neck, giving him a small peck on the jaw.

"Ooh! You need a shave."

"Ha—Huh! Zur came in around three."

"You weren't still awake, were you?" She leaned on an elbow to look at him more closely. He looked as if he had been awake hours.

"No. I'm a light sleeper and can sleep anywhere but this is the best bed I have ever been in."

"Oh." Hela's stomach rumbled, "I could kill breakfast, although I think I need a shower first." She crawled out of bed and reached the door, when she turned. "Are you coming?"

He grinned and followed her, he could get used to these showers.

Hela stepped in the shower and pulled him with her.

"So what do you want? Rain drops, monsoon, power showers, very hot, cold or steam. Top down, side spray? Although there is a steam room there if you want."

"Just a good warm shower, from above."

"Okay. She pressed the button and the water sprayed down.

Mayday closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards; it was just like warm rain, nothing like the biting rain on Kamino.

He felt her fingers as they roamed his chest; he relished in her gentle touch. Other than the necessary touch of a medic droid, or a brother it rarely happened.

"So many scars. Is that normal?" she asked, working something into his skin.

"What's that?"

"Shower gel."

He sniffed, "I like this one."

"Good. I bought it especially for you."

"Me? I…"

"You don't want to leave here smelling like you've escaped from a Hutt brothel."

"Why not? It'd give the boys something to talk about."

She shook her head smiling.

He kissed her, no one, apart from her, had ever given him anything. The water continued to fall between their joined mouths, his arms circling her waist until she moved away.

He took in a deep breath when she headed lower, her hands reaching his thighs.

Kneeling down in front of him, she looked at his involuntary erection.

"I think that's clean." he said, quietly.

Hela continued to look upwards. A slight smile crossed her face before she placed him in her mouth. She heard him take a breath, then exhale, before leaning back against the shower wall for support as she worked.

Finally, she made her way back upwards, Mayday was still lost in the euphoria of the last few minutes.

.