Imperial Centre
New Order - day 229
"Who is it? What's she doing here?"
"We need to question her."
Hela woke from the stun blast with pinpricks dancing up and down her torso, as she regained the feeling in her skin.
She had never been stunned before and desperately wanted to stretch out but couldn't.
What she could do was listen to the voices; she was good at listening.
She forced herself to become more alert and listen to the voices, all initially sounding the same, to an unpractised ear —clones.
It was dark. Blindfold. She tried to move her hands but they were bound, luckily in front of her. She didn't think they wanted to hurt her, they had only stunned her, which was bad enough but they could have killed her.
"She was asking questions in 79's. Said she was with the Senator."
"She's not. The Senator would have told us, if she had someone in there."
"Where is the Senator?"
"On her way."
Hela couldn't stay still any longer, her neck was cramping; she twitched.
"Shh! She's coming round."
The clones went quiet.
A low voice commented, "We may have to slot her….pity."
She assumed to slot was to kill, "Please don't." She said, "I can explain."
There was a pause before one voice replied.
"Well it better be good."
"Can you take the hood off?" She asked tentatively, "I can't breathe."
There was some debate between the clones.
"I'm not from the Empire. I'm looking for a clone."
"Well, Ya found a few." A clone voice replied with humour. His voice was slightly different from the others.
"We shouldn't engage with her." A deeper clone voice said, with a hint of anger.
Strong hands pulled her upright but they left the hood on.
"I'm looking for Commander Mayday. He was with the 212th. I've not heard from him in months."
No one answered.
"Are you still there? Commander Mayday. I just want to know if he's okay."
She knew she sounded desparate.
"Why?"
"We were together. I'm worried about him."
"Shh! The Senator's here now."
The voices moved away still talking.
Then footsteps as they came back.
"Take off the hood." the Senator instructed.
The hands were strong but gentle, that gave her some hope that they weren't going to hurt her, when the hood was pulled off.
She blinked in the harsh lights and smelled the odour of speeder fuel and the ozone from welding. Some kind of garage and she finally focused on the woman and men in front of her.
"Ms Nim?" The Senator sounded shocked.
"Senator! I'm sorry. I was getting desperate. I need to know where he was or if he's still alive."
"Commander Mayday?" Asked one of the clones. He wore armour, different to what she had seen on ordinary troopers.
"Yes. I thought— I'm sorry, I don't know what I thought. It was stupid."
"It was." This was the grumpy sounding clone, who looked ill and had prosthetics. She tried not to stare at him. It was rude, he had obviously been seriously injured, "We could have killed you."
"Speak for yourself." The other one replied.
"Hela. Would you like a drink?" The Senator asked, "and then we'll talk. This is Captain Rex."
Hela nodded, she recognised him, the blond hair.
"Gregor and Echo."
"Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise ma'am." The one called Gregor replied.
"Call me Hela!"
"Hela. Such a lovely name." He moved closer, holding his hand out, "allow me."
He undid the binders, gently holding her hands as he did.
"Gregor!" Warned Rex.
"What?" He answered but didn't take his eyes off her, "I was on that planet training for months. Not a sni—."
"Gregor!" He warned again.
The other ill looking clone rolled his eyes in disbelief.
Hela smiled at him, rubbing her wrists where the binders had bitten in, "Thank you Gregor."
He held her hand and led her to a small table and chair, missing the look exchanged between Echo and Rex, when she sat.
"Tell me all about it." Gregor insisted.
"I knew Commander Mayday," interrupted Rex, "He was a good brother."
Hela looked at him, unable to stop the tears welling in her eyes at his use of the past tense.
.
Zur watched her enter 79's, from the opposite walkway, using his ISB issued binocs; they were good. He tracked her after yet another meeting with his handler, who was definitely grooming him for promotion but it wasn't happening fast enough.
The Apartment had been empty after he specifically told her to stay there; he should have known she was planning something.
He was sure she would be removed from him soon. He was carefully drafting their chain codes to give them some chance of getting away safely but making up a fictional backstory takes time, if it's to pass all the security. He had a couple of the scenarios that could pass muster to get through a checkpoint.
He watched her exit the bar and walk towards her speeder, parked a couple of hundred metres away.
Then it happened, a figure came from the shadows and grabbed her.
"Shit!" He cursed, as he lost her in the darkness.
He ran from his hiding place, to his own speeder, making a u-turn in the Skylanes and narrowly avoiding a crash but not the expletives from the driver that came after it. He parked next to her speeder and rushed in the direction they had headed but there was no sign of them; it was an empty alley. Then he he heard her speeder start up; they had back tracked and he was too late.
He checked the tracker linked to her com.
"Where the fuck are they taking you?"
He followed at a reasonable distance turning off the sky lanes several times then pulling back until he reached the underworld portal; to follow then he dropped slowly down, watching as the speeder stopped at level 1313.
"Not the best area." He muttered. It would be a shock for Hela. She had never been here, as far as he knew.
He parked up, unsure if it would be there when he returned, despite its anti theft devices.
He followed on foot, trying to keep them in sight. It was a male, who was carrying her now. He better not have hurt her; this was feeling more like his sister with every passing second.
He stopped.
The male had entered a speeder repair shop.
"Probably a front for something." He muttered to himself. He moved slowly nearer, getting an idea of the layout.
.
"Rex! We've got company." Echo checked his screen.
"Is it a customer who's lost their way?"
"Not by the looks of him. He's been scoping us out the last few minutes. You said you thought you'd been followed but then nothing?"
Rex looked at the screen.
"Thought I'd lost him. He kept out of my eye line most of the time. Let's check him out."
Hela turned when she heard them talking but it was so low she couldn't quite hear the details.
"So what was Mayday like?" Asked Gregor.
"He was a good soldier, always wanted to do the right thing. Had a dry sense of humour But he was a soldier at his core, like all of you."
"Did he obey orders?"
"Of course! Most of the time. He was ARC trained. Is that what you call it?"
"Was he linked to any Jedi, a General?"
"Not permanently, other than General Kenobi. Why are you asking this? I know about the chips. I've spoken to Cody."
"Commander Cody?" Rex asked, suddenly more interested.
"Yes!"
"When?" he demanded.
"A standard week ago."
"What was he doing?"
"Trying to get off the planet. I gave him food, clothes and cash credits."
Rex sat back and sighed, nodding his head; then exchanged glances with Gregor before leaving the room.
"Did he say where?"
"No. Not safe but I don't think he knew yet. He could see what the Empire is. What it's doing. He made his decision to leave. Just like you all did."
She watched the little band of clones
.
"Go on move!" Rex pushed his blaster hard into the Falleen's back, forcing him forwards.
Part of him thought he ought to shoot him now but the last thing they needed was interest from ISB but they now had it. No one was safe but they had to find out what he knew first.
On hearing footsteps, Hela turned, "Zur! What are you doing here?"
"Looking after you!"
"I'm fine."
"It didn't look like it when you were stunned and carried off." He glared at Gregor.
"Not me!" Gregor put his hands up, looking like he surrendered.
"That would be me!" muttered Rex.
The Falleen stared at him, "Why?"
"She was asking too many questions pretending she was working for the Senator."
"Really?" He asked Hela, looking at her and ignoring the clones and the Senator. This was going to take some clearing up.
Echo and Rex were still pointing their blasters at him, while the Senator's body guards had surrounded her.
"Give me one good reason not to kill you right now!" Echo asked as his finger twitched nearer to the trigger of his blaster.
"Please don't. It's not what you think!" Hela interrupted.
"It never is." Commented Gregor, a smile lifting his lips.
"Name!" Demanded Rex.
"Zur Dathrar."
There was no point in lying, they probably knew all about him from their looks.
"ISB!" Hissed Echo.
"Were you Republic Intelligence before?"
"Yes he was." Answered Echo, "assigned to an asset." He turned to look at Hela, "Hela Nim."
He remembered her, although she looked different. He'd thought there was something happening between her and Cody but it appeared not. Although the Commander knew.
"She's looking for Commander Mayday. They were close. Had plans." Zur was explaining, "I've tried to track him down but there's no trace. He wasn't with the 212th on Utapau."
"Plans?" Asked Rex and Echo in unison.
"To be together." Answered Hela.
"Doesn't look as if it's going to happen now, despite the war ending. They're still using us." Explained Gregor, "Any clone who disobeys Imperial orders is sent to a prison facility or killed."
"He was sent on a top secret mission. He couldn't tell me where but he said he would contact me and he hasn't."
The clones looked at each other; she could see the pity on their faces.
"He wasn't like that, he meant it."
"But in the meantime what about him?"
Echo was back on Zur.
"Zur had no choice. If he wanted to help me he had to remain in the ISB."
"Help you? With Mayday?" Rex asked, he remembered her too.
"I need to get her off the planet. The Emperor needs her for something, they've been doing tests on her for years. Taking samples etc and it's coming to a head. She's going to be taken somewhere, force knows where, for whatever they want to do to her. I've seen enough of the Empire in the last few months to know that something terrible is going on."
Hela looked embarrassed the way they were speaking about whatever was being done to her.
"We don't do those kinds of extractions." Said Gregor.
"She's well known so getting her off planet is not easy; especially with the new chain codes."
The Senator had been listening carefully to everything.
"Perhaps I can help."
Zur and Hela turned towards her.
"How?"
"Diplomatic shuttle."
"Where?"
"To Pantora. At the moment they aren't searched as thoroughly as others. So far."
"I'm listening." Zur said.
"I can get you diplomatic passes but you would have to be able to pass as a Pantoran. Do you think you could do that with makeup?"
"I may need help with the tattoos but I can definitely do the rest."
"Good that's settled." Riyo reached over and squeezed her shoulder, "I'll get onto the flimzi work and let you know a date and hopefully you will find your Commander."
Riyo had always been a sucker for a love story, ever since she was a young girl.
"Thank you."
Hela turned to Gregor, "A while back you said clones were imprisoned. Where's the prison?" she asked.
He cocked his head to one side.
"Balmorra!"
"Is he there?"
"Can't tell at the moment."
Hela frowned, she hoped he wasn't.
.
Barton IV
New Order - day 277.
Mayday placed Decs's helmet on the crate, next to Splicer's, they had been inseparable in the last months of the war and since. Then they died together.
The insurgents were relentless in their attacks now, becoming more confident in their forays onto the base over the last few weeks, gaining further and further inroads. He wasn't sure how they managed to get so close without the perimeter alarms being set off.
Splicer had been working on that but now there was no one left with his level of expertise in scanning and coms.
"Unless…no." he dismissed the idea of the wyrm tunnels because they'd collapsed them with explosives months ago to keep the wyrms out.
He walked over to the Coms Tower, thinking over what had happened over the past year with so many losses They sustained heavy casualties defending the depot from the ice wyrms until the perimeter defences were put up, courtesy of Splicer. Now the insurgents, whilst the Empire consolidated itself and left them here.
He dragged his fingers through his hair. It was longer now; he saved fuel and water by not shaving and it helped to keep him warm. His Phase 2 armour wasn't enough to keep out the cold, even the cold weather gear had failed fairly quickly and his requests for supplies went unanswered. He'd had to improvise. They all had. It was so cold that much of the equipment stopped functioning fully within a few months of their arrival.
Splicer and Decs cannibalised parts to keep some going. They highlighted this when they first landed cursing Procurement for their inept requisitioning and inadequate Intel. They would have known this planet had severe winters, longer and harder than most planets.
"Jam, open another channel for me. I'll be up there in a few minutes."
Yet another reminder to send about the supplies and reinforcements they needed but he was beginning to think that the Empire had forgotten about them. The crates, the assets, were safely stacked and sealed and as per his orders and no one had looked at them, not even him.
He wondered when he had started to follow so closely his orders, as he had done recently; he once told Cody he was not regulation any more. He rubbed his right temple. The headaches had eased off over the last few months or so, since they finished Baylan off.
Baylan!
He regretted that now; he should have stopped and queried the Order but he couldn't and he didn't know why.
They had no Jedi to hunt now and he wasn't sure if he would obey that order again; it was wrong. They had fought together and yet he couldn't disobey a direct order, despite how he felt about it but their enemy now was the insurgents. They had pursued them relentlessly, never giving up but now they just didn't have the resources to mount the missions they had previously. The insurgents had dug in and were relentless.
He felt guilty for not contacting Hela earlier but the mission had to come first and she would understand but neither had she contacted him; he hoped she was alive.
He climbed the steps to the coms room and shivered, it was so cold the temperature controls in his body suit had finally burnt out and he had to make do with trying to insulate his armour in some way. Yet again Hela's cloak was proving useful.
He hoped she was safe.
She was close to the Chancellor, now Emperor, so she should be. He had tried a few times over the last week, to get hold of her, now he was thinking straight but the signal had failed. He wondered if she had gone to Naboo as she indicated she may, just before he left.
He said his remembrances again as he reached to top of the stairs, then turned for the Comms Room; Jam had been one of the better shinies and he had stepped up. He was no longer shiny.
"Channel ready sir. But I can't tell if they're receiving us or not. No hyperspace traffic anywhere near us again."
Commander Mayday sighed before speaking.
"This is Commander Mayday of Barton 4 Outpost, requesting supplies and reinforcements. The inhospitable terrain and insurgents have continued to drain our resources. It is imperative you send the requested items asap." He sent the data file. "Mayday out."
He rubbed his face, when he finished, it was thirty rotations, since he had sent the first one and he was not optimistic that this one would be answered or ignored like the rest appeared to have been. The Empire seemed even more bloated and inefficient in some respects than the Republic.
"Hexx will relieve you at the end of your shift. Then come and get some food and warm up."
He watched his breath turn to mist in the cold air; there was no heat in here, apart from that given out by the equipment which wasn't much and Jam was frantically rubbing his hands to keep warm.
"Yes sir." He saluted. Mayday was hard pressed to return it the way he felt at the moment. He had lost so many of his original squad— his closest brothers. They had been with him since the beginning. He headed back to the storage facility; it was warmer than the mess hall, which was closed off now as there were so few of them left to use it. They couldn't afford to heat empty space.
.
Hela's
New Order - day 301
It had taken longer than they anticipated for Riyo to obtain the passes and the date for them to leave; they had been prepared to stay at the Martez garage but luckily that wasn't needed. It could have put the clones' operation in jeopardy, as well as Riyo.
But now they were going, there was one more thing to do; Hela embedded the message in the static burst sent to Mayday's com code. It was slightly different from the one she sent to Nula. If he was still alive, he would know she wasn't here anymore, and hopefully, no one else would pick it up. It should just sound like static.
She couldn't say where exactly she would be but the first stop was Pantora and then—she didn't know but he would know she was alive and thinking of him.
She hoped he was still alive and would receive it.
She pressed send.
It's done now.
"Do you think he will even get it or care?" Zur asked, he felt he needed to prepare her for the worst.
"I don't know but I have to try."
He understood that; he had sent his own message.
"Ready?" Asked Zur, picking up the luggage.
"Yes. It's time isn't it."
"It is." Replied Zur.
When they did this they sealed their fates. They could be running for the rest of their lives or they could get lucky and find some out of the way planet the Empire wasn't interested in.
She took one last look around, it looked just as it always did, when she was actually living there, it looked like she was coming back; small items left out ready for when she returned. She wasn't going to.
"Let's go!"