Barton - 4
Dash was striding ahead, he was not happy with her decision but as she told Finor, she had noted it and they moved on. She wanted to tell him to stop sulking and grow up but he was already grown. He was so much more of a man than the boy they found lying injured with his dead parents. She would not begrudge him his feelings in this matter; it was hard for all of them.
Donca pushed the repulsor lift slowly up the slope, breathing hard; it was becoming more difficult despite the mechanical help and she could not ask anyone else to do it. She reviewed the Intel Zak retrieved for her and it confirmed her decision but it was her choice and she had to pull her weight, plus she had her pride. There would come a time when she wouldn't be able to do much, would be a liability and then she would have to make a harder decision. She glanced up from the clone and saw Finor staring back at her, as if he could read her mind.
"I'm fine." She told him, wheezing, "We'll be in the tunnels soon. I'll need to check him again and then we can rest. We all need it."
Finor looked at the sky, "We could end up spending the night there. Looks like another storm's brewing."
"I'd rather not but if we have to, then we have to. We have more supplies than we came with. Are we okay with the land mines?"
"All deactivated now."
"Good. You know I never liked that idea."
"Sometimes you confuse me."
"How?"
"You can be ruthless on occasion and logical, explaining your reasoning for some difficult decisions, then…."
"Then what? Come on, finish what you're going to say."
"Him!" He jabbed his thumb to the side towards the clone, "and this thing against the land mines. Most armies use them."
"We are not most armies."
"But you can't explain your reasoning on this."
"I thought I had."
"Perhaps not to everyone's satisfaction."
"Perhaps not everyone can see the bigger picture."
"And you can?"
"I don't know, can I?"
"Stop answering a question with another question."
"Sometimes it's the only answer that makes any sense."
He looked at her still struggling and shook his head, he grabbed a handle to help her.
She smiled at him, thankful for his help because although she would never admit it, she needed it badly today.
Today was a bad day.
.
Another hour and weather had turned again, it was snowing and they only just made it to the tunnels. They emerged from the storm into the cave system, set up their heaters and heated up the ration packs. They had to keep warm and fed. After eating and drinking heated water with something vaguely resembling caf in it, she realised how much she needed it but she couldn't relax yet. Walking slowly around her people, talking to them, checking on them, she did that at least once a day. She had to, it reminded her why she was here. They were family.
She dropped down to sit next to Dash, leaning against the wall.
"How are you?" She asked.
"Fine!" he muttered.
"You don't sound it."
"It's the clone."
"I know you disagree with my decision…"
"It's just. They killed our friends, comrades."
"He did. Under orders, just as we killed his brothers. I think that's what they called themselves, when we attacked. On several occasions."
"Yes but they were bred for war, to fight, to kill like machines."
"The one who dug him out of the snow, helped him all the way back and then pleaded for the Officer for medical treatment to save him. He didn't seem like a machine."
Dash looked at the floor, "How do you know he did all that?"
"Zak retrieved footage from the garrison Archives. There wasn't much left but enough to see them struggle across the landing area. I'm a pretty good lip reader."
"They took out our comrades, we know there was an avalanche. We saw the results. His injuries are consistent with that and the only way he could get out was if someone dug him out."
Dash slumped.
"Did you see all the helmets lined up? They were all different. I think they were there in memoriam."
Dash looked up, fear in his eyes. "Are you saying they mourn their dead?"
"I do. In the only way they can."
"But the officer?"
"He was not a clone, and perhaps it's those soldiers, the actual Imperials who choose to be Imperials that we should be more frightened of. They believe."
"But the clones…."
"Are just as much slaves, as each of your family were, and knew no different."
Dash frowned.
"What happened when the Hutts were taken down on your planet? Did everyone cheer and run?"
"No!" He shook his head slowly remembering. "They stood around, some of them just waiting not knowing what to do next. My parents dragged us away quickly."
"I think that's how the clones are now. They don't know what else they can do. Fighting was what they were bred for."
She pushed herself up, standing awkwardly and smiled at him, knowing he was thinking it over.
"So do you think he'll still want to fight us?"
"I don't know. We'll see if he wakes up."
She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder before she walked slowly back, she needed to rest now.
Am I mad? she thought. It had seemed like a good plan when she first thought of it.
She knelt to reexamine the clone —no change.
.
The Chancellor's Personal Medical Assessment Unit.
Senate District
Coruscant.
Hela was surprised at the member of the Coruscant guard who arrived at her apartment to escort her to the tests; almost as if he were there to ensure she did attend. When she was younger she tried to avoid them but never quite succeeded.
He stood at attention in the living room, waiting for her, she was late as usual. She dressed down, bland, just like many others in Coruscant, some kind of office worker, she thought, not that she had ever been an office worker, or knew any office workers, just seen them, she thought.
"I'm ready…..er sorry I don't know your name."
"Commander Thorn, ma'am. This way."
She started, surprised at how much like Mayday and Cody he sounded. She shouldn't have been they were all clones; she was thinking about Mayday yet again.
Guilt, she decided.
"I hope there are no Holonet cameras."
"There won't be ma'am. The new security laws forbid recording devices other than those authorised by the Senate Security Committee. We… the Coruscant Guard, have ensured that is abided by. This way."
"Good." She muttered. He was nothing like Cody, or Mayday.
He held out his arm.
She walked out, closing her door behind them.
"After you! You know where your speeder is parked."
His helmet dipped.
She followed him down to the parking garage, where the apartment block's own security cameras observed all the comings and goings; she often wondered where the images from those cameras ended up. With some faceless bureaucrat charged with Security, or the Coruscant Guard, she supposed. She hoped.
The Commander pointed to a top of the range speeder and opened the door for her at the back. She slid in the front seat, he stood not moving for a few seconds.
"I prefer sitting in the front." She advised him, "This is very nice." She added looking around the speeder and rubbing the plush covering on the seat.
"I requisitioned it from the Senate Speeder Pool. The Chancellor's orders. He wanted you to be comfortable and relaxed before you reached the facility."
The speeder windows darkened and they moved off.
The Clone Commander sped out of the apartment block parking garage and raced through the traffic swapping from sky lane to sky lane with alarming frequency and as he said there were no Holonet cameras capturing their journey. She doubted whether they could have kept up anyway.
She held on to the armrests tight, her knuckles white at times, thinking she would need the doctor soon at the rate the clone was driving, if just to confirm she wasn't having a heart attack. Finally they reached the Chancellor's building, sweeping around to an entrance she had never seen before; the large garage doors slid open and they sped through the Chancellor's private entrance and pulled to a halt in the underground parking garage. The doors closing immediately behind them. He parked up, jumped out before the engine had stopped and walked around to let her out, holding out his hand to help her.
"This way, Ma'am!"
She took it and slid out of the seat.
This was new, in other years the test had taken place in Coruscant General Hospital, their genetics department. Stark, functional. Utilitarian until you reached their private wing.
This was even more sumptuous than that; she dutifully followed the Officer. He seemed to know exactly where he was going and eventually they reached a room, with no sign on the door.
"There you are." He pushed open the door. She walked slowly in, it was small and the lights automatically lit as she entered, the door closed quickly behind her. She tried to open it, jabbing at the buttons but it appeared to be locked. Looking around, it was empty apart from a med bed and a cabinet, as she stood waiting, the door opened again.
"Finally!" She said as she turned to face them, "Oh?" This was someone she didn't know.
"You were expecting Doctor Hemlock." The woman said matter of factly, as she arranged her instruments. "I'm Doctor Scalder."
She laid out her instruments and arranged a medibag, for what looked like specimens.
"Lie down!" She instructed.
Hela obeyed and lay down on the bed, watching the Doctor. There were instruments she had never seen before, not used on her before.
The Doctor was human, female with dark brown hair in a bun; Hela tried to work out what the white uniform was, it was different to Hemlock's with a crest on the sleeves. She also wore goggles. Hela couldn't say she was disappointed, there was something about Hemlock; she swore he enjoyed her pain and discomfort from the tests.
"So where's Hemlock? Busy?"
"Removed."
"Removed? Where? Why?" Hela sat up surprised
"We have to do more extensive tests this time." The doctor announced, ignoring her questions.
"What kind?" Hela asked, apprehension building.
"We need to extract some bone marrow. It will be uncomfortable."
"Okay, so what happens?"
"Remove your trousers and lay back on the bed. It will only take a minute."
Hela did as instructed.
"On your side."
She twisted over then felt the needle going in; they never gave any pain relief.
She gritted her teeth; this was even more painful than before. Tears dribbled out from the corners of her eyes, as the needle moved.
Then the other side, just as bad.
"Finished. You may get dressed and get up. The clone will take you when you're ready." she swept out of the room.
Hela dressed, as quickly as she could and hobbled out of the door to see the Commander waiting for her. Relieved it was over quickly; Hemlock seemed to make it last so much longer and that it was done for another year.
"Ready?" He asked, she nodded, barely able to walk.
.
Hela lay on her settee, feeling sorry for herself; her hips and back still hurt and she had a rehearsal tomorrow. That examination had been worse than any other.
Zur let himself in.
"Room service!" He announced, sweeping into the room with a flourish and a take away box.
"You're a lifesaver." She groaned from the settee, twisting around to sit up, wincing when she still felt the discomfort from the tests.
"You okay?" He asked, "You've never been this bad before. What did they do?"
"Something with the bone marrow but it was a different doctor."
"So not Doctor Death then?"
She sniggered, then winced, it really was worse than before.
"Hemlock. Apparently he's been 'removed'." She added quotation marks around 'removed' with her fingers.
"That's so last year."
"I don't care. It feels appropriate because she wouldn't tell me what happened to him, in fact she barely spoke."
"You said he spoke too much and gave you the creeps."
She shrugged.
"Is there no pleasing you?"
She shrugged.
"Come on let's get you fed." He was worried now she normally responded to some kind of banter. "And some painkillers."
"I'll send you the credits, let me have your details."
"Yes please. I'm a bit short this month."
"Zur, you're my PA, dresser, general factotum…..." she started, surprised at his revelation.
Zur laughed, "And paid for by the Opera House."
"So not good." She finished. She was so wrapped up in herself sometimes she didn't see things. "So this is not part of your work is it? I take advantage of you don't I? Like when I go to the club? Coming with me is not part of your job description, is it?"
"No. No and no."
"You can always refuse."
"And then who would do it?
"I could…."
"No! You need looking after and that's my job."
"I'll pay you. We'll work something out."
"Let's eat first. Everything seems better on a full stomach." He suggested, now embarrassed that he had even mentioned it. This was his dream job and he would still have done it for free. He sorted out the food and looked at Hela, worried that she was still limping and looked a nasty grey colour.
"Let me get a Doctor to see you, or at least a med droid." He offered.
"Nah. A bit of food, painkillers and a good night's sleep. I'll be fine."
"We'll see." Muttered Zur as he emptied the cartons onto plates and found the cutlery. He set the table. "Come on! Food's ready."
Hela hobbled to the table and eased herself into the chair, wincing as she sat down.
"It's getting worse isn't it."
She nodded.
"Right, eat something then take the painkillers. Then you're going to bed."
"Okay." She murmured.
There was definitely something wrong with her, she acquiesced too easily.
.
Kamino
Alpha 17's training programme.
Mayday stepped off the shuttle; he always had mixed feelings returning here. He had been decanted here, brought up by droids and the occasional Kaminoan carer and trained here. To all intents and purposes it should feel like home. But there were strangers here. Men with his face but strangers all the same. He walked steadily towards the ARC/Commander training area, involuntarily smiling at the squads of cadets that looked up to him. It brought back memories; he remembered looking up and smiling at the original ARCs and Nulls, and some Commando's walking by thinking it wouldn't be long before he reached their size. But that was never going to happen due to the differently tinkered genes.
He already realised Cody was more muscular than he was, definitely heavier set, and he put that down to his training and punching droids— the Di'kut. Possibly from the ARC/Commander training, which he, Mayday, should have had months ago when promoted to Major but it hadn't held him back.
He produced his orders for the trooper on guard.
"Welcome back, sir." He scanned the orders. "You know the way."
"Thank you trooper." For once he was ready to get out of his armour and into his fatigues and then some food, if the mess was open. His stomach growled at the thought. But the memory of fried Nuna eggs and hot tubers came into his head, and the woman who took him there. It was a memory he had never had before, although there was that woman on Christophsis but in hindsight she was using him, as the appearance of the long-standing boyfriend confirmed. Sometimes he didn't understand natborns and that included Hela.
He reached his barracks, pushed open the door and looked around for an empty bunk. There appeared to be plenty. He picked one in the middle and dumped his kit bag on it. He didn't mind where he slept although some brothers had superstitions about which bunk they had and had to sleep in the same one whichever barracks they were in.
He had no such superstitions. If your time was up, it was up.
He emptied his kit into his locker, stacking it carefully, and then checked his datapad. There was the odd message from some of his brothers; he scrolled down, opening one from Rex entitled Fantasy Boloball, round 10.
"Kriff! He's won again." He muttered, then typed something derogatory in his reply.
The door hissed open and a Captain walked in.
"Newly minted?" Asked Mayday, the man frowned, then looked at his bars.
"Yeah. Been waiting for the ARC training then this happened."
"Make yourself at home." Offered Mayday. "What's your name brother?"
"Veetch! 320th." He held out his hand.
Mayday took it. "Mayday 212th. Looks like we're waiting for a few stragglers. Fancy a trip to the mess before it gets busy."
"If I remember rightly, it was always busy."
He dumped his bag on a bunk near the wall.
"Favourite spot?"
"Yeah. Funny isn't it. You get used to a spot."
Mayday was already at the door.
They walked along the white corridors, both remembering the years they spent here the good and the bad.
"This place hasn't changed much." Ventured Veetch, as he watched a Kaminoan walk slowly past, followed by a mouse droid.
"No. Can't say I ever thought I would be back here." Said Mayday, but then they had brought out the ARC/Commander training. He'd missed out on the first round when he was promoted to Major and deployed in that rank.
They stopped and looked through the transparisteel windows that looked out onto the gestation vats, where thousands of their brothers were growing. It was not often that full grown clones actually saw exactly where they came from, even though they intellectually knew.
This wasn't the lab though, where the alterations and growing of the cells took place, this was where they grew.
Mayday idly wondered if he would ever live to see that batch of brothers actually fight in the War. He hoped not because that would mean the war lasting for another five years and he couldn't imagine it lasting that long in its current form. They'd run out of Jedi and brothers before then, even with batches coming out younger and younger.
He saw the casualty numbers.
They turned away and walked silently to the mess hall. It wasn't as busy as it had been, since Geonosis.
The two reverted to the habits they had for ten years, picking up a tray and queuing along the dispensing area, where the service droids doled out the food.
"This is different!" Veetch ventured, eyeing the bread and various portions of what looked like protein and carbohydrates were placed on their trays, together with a bowl of soup. They picked up some water.
"All we used to get was gloop." Muttered Mayday.
"So did we. It's not much better on some of the ships."
They sat down. Mayday took a bite of the bread and chewed, deciding he had tasted worse.
He wondered what Hela was doing now.