ArmyMed
"What is with Commanders and not staying put?" Plug asked himself as he saw the empty bed in the corner. He had to complete the bone density check.
He checked the fresher— empty.
"Anyone know where that Fekking Commander Mayday has gone now?" He asked the occupants in the other beds. It went quiet.
"Anyone?" He demanded, looking around the small ward.
There were murmurs of 'Nah' and 'No' and others avoided his penetrating look, pretending to be engrossed in their datapads.
"If he's in that kriffing gym…." He muttered as he turned on his heel and marched out, "I'll kriffing kill him myself." muttering to himself; the door reverberated against the wall as he left.
It took him about thirty seconds before he reached the gym but he could already hear them, two brother's voices, as he approached the room. He pushed open the door.
"Step away from my patient!" He bellowed to the two brothers spotting for Mayday on his bench presses, with his bone knitter covered leg propped up on several pillows. He was drenched in sweat.
"What the Fek do you think you're doing?"
"That's what the Fek do you think you're doing —sir!" One of the clones replied.
Plug turned to the brother, Tank, he remembered him, he'd been here before. He brought moonshine in then. Plug blinked slowly at him.
Tank straightened up.
"Put. The. Weight. Down. Now!" He enunciated every syllable.
Mayday slowly lowered the barbell, whilst Tank and Hexx took it off him. They moved away from him.
"I was only working my upper body. Save time later."
Plug snorted, in response, "Now back in that bed." He pushed the repulsor chair towards him and helped him in it.
"And you two. If I see you here again I'll arrange some unnecessary invasive examinations on both of you. It will hurt. A lot. I promise. Go!"
They looked at Mayday who nodded.
Plug pushed Mayday back to the ward, muttering under his breath, and settled him in the bed, before checking if the bone knitter was still fitted correctly.
"The more you move, the longer it's going to take. Do I have to have you chained to the bed and a catheter refitted?"
"Promises, promises." Mayday grinned.
Plug glared.
"I'm not joking. Do you want to lose your leg? Wasn't I blunt enough as to what might happen?"
Plug had lost too many brothers to take this lightly and he remembered each and every one.
The smile went from Mayday's face, "You were. I apologise. It won't happen again."
"Have you had your extra rations today?"
"Yes Mother." Mayday replied and grinned again.
Plug sighed, "It helps your recovery and you never had a Mother." He checked the bone density readout.
"How's it doing?"
"Still less than 80 so— keep— still."
"Yes sir." Mayday saluted.
Plug ground his teeth and picked up his medical notes, muttering to himself, "Fekking Commanders if it's not their com. It's requesting updates on the war. Trying to discharge themselves. They'll be the death of me."
Mayday lay back resigned to more bed rest for a few days and wondered where Hela was, thinking perhaps she didn't like the injured.
"Bad luck sir." One of his bedfellows commiserated.
.
Hela walked up to the Receptionist, surprised it was an organic; she was not familiar with this part of the Medical Centre despite her numerous trips over the years. It looked to be new.
"Hello. I'm looking for Commander Mayday. I've been told he's recovering here."
The woman's eyes looked down the list on the screen.
"I can't find anyone of that name here. Where do they serve?"
"He's with the 212th."
There was a pause and the woman scrutinised her.
"You're visiting a clone?" There was disbelief in her voice.
"A soldier." Replied Hela tersely.
"Er..yes. A soldier.
"Are you going to check where he is?" She asked, already irritated.
"It's just that …..they — clones don't normally have visitors."
"This one does. Where is he?"
"I…"
"Do I have to contact your manager?"
"There's no precedent…."
"Then set one!"
The woman blinked at her, her face now set. It looked like she was used to dealing with awkward visitors.
"No. Policy is…."
"Fuck policy. I'm going right to the top."
Hela opened her com to the audio speaker and tapped in a familiar number.
"Supreme Chancellor's Office." The voice replied, "How can I help you?"
"This is Hela."
"Ms Nim. I'm afraid the Chancellor's busy at the moment, can I help?"
"I'm trying to visit some soldiers at ArmyMed to follow up on my concert and they won't let me in. Can you convince them?"
"Let me speak to them." Hela always liked the Chief of The Office of the Supreme Chancellor, although everyone just called her 'Chief.' She organised everything and was not to be trifled with. Hela had learnt that way back but now they understood each other.
Hela switched the speaker off and passed the com over, then turned away to study the notice board and let the receptionist have some privacy; The Chief's conversations could be embarrassing.
It didn't take long.
"Ms Nim?"
"Yes?" Hela turned and smiled.
"You need to go down that corridor, turn left and it's the door right at the end."
"Thank you."
When she turned left, the corridors looked exactly like the corridors on Cody's ship— grim; she pushed the door at the end open, half expecting it to be locked. She walked past various other doors— Medical Supplies —Gym—Scanner. At the end the corridor opened out into more rooms. The doors were open and she could see beds inside. She pushed the first one open and looked around. Several almost identical faces looked back at her.
"Hela?"
"Mayday—finally."
He was lying in a bed in the corner with some machine on his leg. It was elevated at an angle. She rushed to him.
"I…" suddenly she didn't know what to say
"How?"
"Cody." She looked around for a chair; she couldn't see one so perched on the bed.
"For you." She pushed the box towards him.
"Oh!"
"Cookies."
"Thanks."
There was an unusual silence between them
"Why didn't you let me know you were injured?"
He nodded to his leg, "I didn't want you to see me like this." that was a lie, he thought she wouldn't want to see him like this.
"I was worried."
"You were?"
"Of course."
He stared at her, he'd only ever had brothers worry about him before.
"What happened?" She asked.
"He had his leg crushed by the Zillo Beast." Another clone voice answered, "And who are you?" He demanded.
She looked around to see a clone dressed in a medical uniform.
"Hela and you are?"
"CMO Plug."
"Pleased to meet you." She held out her hand.
The medic looked at it for several seconds before shaking it firmly; his eyes were flicking between the two trying to understand the relationship.
"Commander Cody said I could visit." She opened with that, bringing out the big guns first.
"Oh, he did, did he?"
"I hope it isn't inconvenient." She was finding it easier to deal with the medic than look Mayday in the eye.
"No, it's fine. Got nothing better to do than entertain guests."
"Oh. I didn't think. Do you have to do something to him?"
"Just make sure he eats all his ration bars. He's on supplementary rations."
"I can make him do that."
The medic narrowed his eyes, "You can?"
"Oh yes." She replied confidently, thinking it couldn't be that difficult, after all he ate like a pregnant Nerf, she had seen him.
Silence.
"Alright then."
He backed away muttering.
Hela watched him until he left the room, "Is he okay?"
"That's just him. He's a medic, I think they put something in their growth tubes that makes 'em like that."
"Eat your ration cubes then."
Mayday fixed her with a stare.
"You first."
"They're yours."
"There's plenty —try one."
Hela eyed the small grey, unappetising looking cubes, but looks could be deceptive, "Okay." she finally agreed and pulled one in half, popped it in her mouth and chewed.
Mayday watched her face.
Hela chewed—and chewed. Then she tried to swallow and grimaced. It lodged on the roof of her mouth. She scraped it back down with her tongue and tried chewing again.
"Good aren't they?" Said Mayday taking great delight in this, he was bored.
She moved a lump to her cheek, "Not too bad."
She chewed again and tried to swallow but it still stubbornly lodged on the roof of her mouth again.
"They're better if you just try and let them dissolve." He advised.
"They are?" She asked hopefully and sat with it in her mouth.
She heard some sniggers from the others in the beds and turned around to look at them; they all sat watching her, faces blank.
She sucked on what was left, well most of it actually and it seemed to draw all the moisture from her mouth. She took a drink of water from the flask but that made it worse. She could actually taste it now.
She gagged.
Mayday nodded to the others; a hand came in front of her face with a flimzi towel. She admitted defeat and spit it out, then quickly drank some water.
"You actually eat these?"
"Only when we're out in the field. They provide all the nutrients we need."
"I'd rather throw them at the enemy."
She heard a few sniggers and Mayday snorted.
"The cookies are better." She added.
"I'll bet. Let's open them. Come on boys."
Hela opened the box. It was huge; she thought she may have overdone it but the box was soon empty, with Mayday eating his fair share.
"Aren't you leaving at least one for Plug?"
Mayday looked at the empty box, "It appears not."
"I'll bring him some tomorrow."
"Are you coming again."
"Yes. Why not?"
"I'm not exactly any use to you like this."
"That's not why I'm here."
"Why then?" He had that look on his face, the one where she couldn't tell what he was feeling or thinking.
"I thought we understood one another, I like you, I missed you and I can. Rehearsals are cancelled for a few weeks pending repairs to the Opera House."
"You like me? Missed me?"
"I thought that was obvious."
"Hmm."
"Don't you want me to come?"
"Of course I do."
"Good. I'll bring more tomorrow but I don't want to overstay my welcome. I can see Plug is watching me. And you need to eat your extra rations."
She pushed them towards him and leaned over, "I don't care if you're injured or ill. I like you because you're you." She grasped his hand, stroking it with her thumb. "I'd kiss you," she whispered, leaning even closer to his face, "but I think Plug may ban me. And I don't want that."
Instead she dropped her forehead down to touch his, leaving it resting there; It seemed the right thing to do.
Finally she pulled away, waved to the others and walked out of the room; he watched the hips sway; he had missed those shebs.
"Nice arse!"
His head whipped around but nobody admitted to the comment.
.
Hela's
"So— how did it go."
"I didn't tell him about Baylan if that's what you mean."
"Good. I don't think it would do any good—Oh by the way. I had sex with an old flame while you were lying in ArmyMed injured— and he's a General." He imitated her.
Hela glared at him.
"Sorry." He muttered, he may have gone too far, "How is he?"
"He nearly lost his leg and he's got a boneknitter on now."
Zur winced, he'd been treated with one of those in the past It was an odd sensation.
"He's got to have extra rations to help it heal." She continued.
"That shouldn't be a problem. He eats plenty, enough for at least two."
"You haven't tasted them. They're ration cubes."
"Not good?"
"Indescribably bad."
"You tried one?"
"Not even a whole one."
She watched him, he was enjoying this.
"I gagged on it, it was so bad, worse than what we had in the camps and we ate some rotten stuff. I had to spit it out."
She shuddered at the thought
"Then there's this medic —Plug. Not sure what to make of him. And the Receptionist wasn't going to let me in until I called 'The Chief'."
Zur laughed, loudly, it was the best thing he had heard in ages.
"It's not funny."
"Yes it is. It's called real life. You'd forgotten how it is."
"Yeah, I suppose I had." She looked out onto the sky lanes, the traffic never ending but no sign of the war up here, "I thought I may take something in for Plug and the other patients, to eat I mean— some more cookies."
"You're going again?"
"Of course." It was the same reply she gave Mayday, "tomorrow."
.
ArmyMed
Plug completed his checks on his patients, with two being discharged back to their respective companies fully healed. He tapped his datapad confirming their discharge. That gave him some satisfaction; ideally he would be there with them— his brothers— fighting, just as he had been bred for and caring for the injured.
"Mayday!" An anguished female voice rang out.
He jumped up from his desk, unless he was mistaken it was the nattie woman from yesterday. Walking into the ward he found her, surrounded by the other patients who quickly moved away from her, when they saw him.
"Where's Mayday? What's happened?"
"Come with me."
She followed him, walking inches from him.
"Please sit." It was useful to have an office no matter how small, "Commander Mayday is fine. He's having a shower."
She sank into the chair, "Thank the Force. I thought…."
He watched as she blinked back what looked like tears. He ignored it, unsure how to deal with it.
"Thought what?"
"I thought he'd had …..a relapse and been taken away."
"We don't get many fatalities on these wards. It is just orthopaedic."
The woman —Hela, cocked her head on one side and looked at him; other than the Kaminoans no one had looked at him that closely before. He felt heat rise up into his face. The wards climate control must be malfunctioning.
"Are you here alone, just you looking after all these men?"
"No. There's a couple more brothers."
"But it's still hard work?"
"Yes…"
"Especially when they're uncooperative."
"That's one way of putting it." He replied, wanting to smile at her but pulling it back.
"Here! I bought these for you. As a thank you." She pushed a box at him. He took it tentatively and opened it.
"For me?" He looked at the variously highly coloured decorated cookies nestling inside. "No. I can't take them."
"You can't?" Her face changed, frowning at his reply, "Why not? Are there rules against it?"
Plug thought for a few seconds; he couldn't recall any, not from the hundreds of regulations and Orders, he had studied since he was decanted. Then those specific ones when he came to ArmyMed.
"No." He admitted.
"Then they're yours to say thank you for looking after Mayday."
"It's my job."
"And Mayday is special to me, so please let me do this. You wouldn't want to upset me, would you?"
Plug hadn't had much dealing with natties but he couldn't risk any complaints about the unit.
"If you insist." He replied formally.
"I do."
.
Hela watched as Plug and another Medic helped Mayday back into bed and checked his boneknitter again.
"89. Once it reaches 92 you can be discharged to rehab."
"Where's that?" Asked Hela, a plan forming.
"Barracks."
"Does it have to be there?"
Plug looked confused.
"That's where they all go. He will still need to have a bone knitter on and be rebuilding his leg muscles."
"But he can do that anywhere, can't he?"
Mayday watched the conversation, smiling; he knew where this was going now.
"Yes but he needs a gym for exercise."
"And a place where he's well fed and isn't disturbed by brothers needing him."
"That would be ideal. Do you know a place?"
"Oh yes."
.
Hela's
Mayday hobbled through the door leaning on a stick; Plug insisted he use it, and between him and Hela he lost the argument. He threw it on the settee and winced as he put his full weight on his leg for the first time since the Zillo Beast. He sank into the settee.
"I really need to get to the gym."
"It's on the first floor, next to the swimming pool."
"Swimming pool? How did I not know about these?"
"You never asked." She tapped in her datapad, "Plug has sent me the exercises you need to do."
"Why did he send them to you? I already have them."
"Back up."
"You could fall out with a brother." He muttered.
"So.." Hela started, "Get some rest tonight and we'll start in the morning."
"Rest? I'm all for bed."
"Come on."
He limped after her into the bedroom. She helped him undress.
"I like this rehab." He grinned at her.
She pushed him down on the bed and attached the boneknitter, reading the instructions Plug gave her.
"I'm ready." Mayday looked at her expectantly.
She pulled a nightdress from a drawer, then leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Got everything you need?" She asked.
"Not everything."
She slid from his grasp, "I'm in the guest bedroom. See you in the morning." And walked away.
"What? Hela? Come back here!" He dropped back onto the bed his plans thwarted.
Now the bone knitter was itching.
.
Barton IV
Rebel Base
Finishing his last clap press-up, Mayday lowered himself slowly to the ground; he was getting stronger, although he still had a faint sheen of sweat on him from his exertions and he had to be careful not to make too much noise. He stood up and turned to get the water bottle to hold for his squats. He had quickly moved onto the weighted squats. This was something he remembered; the training after injuries, building up his strength again but he had machines and help then and he had not been immobile for so long.
The curtains parted, there was no way he could avoid being seen now.
The woman Donca stood with his comlink in her hand.
"I thought you'd been training in secret. There was no way as an elite soldier like you could have been that bad for so long. So what are you going to do now?"
She still had the comlink in her hand, he looked at it.
"Kill me?" She asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
"You could. There's only me and I'm no soldier."
"True but out there, are your people and they're loyal to you. I probably wouldn't last more than a couple of minutes. If I did, where would I go? You've said the Outpost is empty. The Empire's gone, moved on. They don't need clones anymore. Not my type of clone."
The woman looked at him; there was something different. No defiance. "Can I sit?" She lowered herself onto a high stool and held out the comlink.
"Our techie's done his best."
He took it from her, his fingers brushing hers as he did.
He gingerly switched it on. Static. But it was to be expected on that channel, it was Veetch's. He scrolled down his contact list. A lot of them were dead now and he wasn't even sure of Cody. Was he dead? Was he still with the Empire? He had always been a 'by the book' clone.
Finally he found it, Hela. His finger hovered over it. Would she even want to speak to him? He remembered the last time they spoke; she sounded frightened and now he was a deserter.
Then he saw it blinking, the light showing there was a message for him.
"Is it from the girl? Hela, the singer?" Asked the woman, Donca.
"Yes." He switched the message on. To the untrained ear, it sounded like static but he listened closely. It was a message; it was timed and still running. He listened again.
"Zak said that he'd fixed what he could, perhaps…."
"No. There's a message in there. Shh!"
She resisted the urge to smile, it had been a long time since anyone had shushed her. Watching him, she could see his head moving in a rhythm. He had heard something embedded within the static.
"You said it was in the past?"
"It was. I was sent to the outpost, just after the Battle of Coruscant and from Utapau and never saw her again."
"Did you not communicate?"
"It was awkward."
"She was with someone else?"
Donca was pushing for as much information as she could about the woman. A point of possible leverage.
He watched her closely before replying, "You could say so."
He remembered her relationship with the Emperor; towards the end, it was difficult for her being so close to him. He had started to make more demands on her time and had she not made an excuse, she could have ended up dead; kidnapped or killed by grievous.
"And now?"
"She's left Coruscant but I have no idea where she went."
"You got all that from the static?"
"Yeah! What's it to you?"
"I've nursed you. Heard you. I'd just like some answers."
He studied her face trying to decide if he trusted her— not yet.
"I'm tired. Leave me!"
Donca debated on reminding him that he was technically their prisoner and couldn't decide what he did and didn't do but she left it at that.
Mayday lay back, his exercises finished for today; his memories returning, he remembered the first time Hela visited him when he was injured.
.