Kyrimorut

Ryssa sat with L'leth watching Casey trying to catch some fish with a small net in the lake; they had both been ushered out of the kitchen by Besany and Laseema and told to rest.

Ryssa didn't mind, she wasn't in the mood for mind numbing vegetable chopping, even though she had to concentrate with her tremors.

And that tired her.

Jaing and A'den blocked them from looking at the alterations being made to the house, despite it directly affecting them; they were making room for L'leth and Casey to move in with Jaing and a nursery for the new arrival. They said it was going to be a surprise, Ryssa was no longer sure she liked surprises, they had a nasty habit of turning out bad. Then it was musical rooms to accomodate Darman, Kad, Niner and Rede.

"If we get any more newcomers we'll have to build more rooms." Observed L'leth, laughing as Casey pulled yet another tiddler out of the lake it flipped flopped around in his small net, before finally making a bid for freedom.

"And a bigger kitchen." Added Ryssa, her mind always seemed to be on food now. Where the next meal was coming from, what she could snack on.

"Not sure where, although I think A'den might want to split off, go more into the wilderness. He was so different when we walked up the mountain and spent time there."

"How?" Asked L'leth. A'den always seemed so normal, most of the time.

"At peace. Real peace. Not just acting. Not on the verge of —if anything goes wrong."

"I know what you mean. I love Jaing but sometimes—"

"That's where we went." She pointed to the mountain in the distance, "I'm sure it must have a name but I can't for the life of me remember it now."

At one point, she would have been worried about the memory lapse but L'leth's next comment helped.

"You've got too many things on your mind with the pregnancy. I was just like that. Things I had known for years just went out of my head. It's your body telling you what's most important."

They went quiet, as they watched the new clone, Rede, walk towards them, head down, studying the ground, or his feet; it could be either or both. He looked up, saw them and hurriedly turned away.

L'leth nudged her.

"What?"

"Call him over!"

He looked lost, out of place.

"Rede!" Shouted Ryssa.

He stopped but didn't turn around.

"Come and keep us company. We have cookies." She shook the bag Laseema had pushed in their hands, saying they both needed to keep their strength up.

"Although the way my appetite is increasing I'll soon look like a frightened puffa pig." Ryssa said to L'leth.

"Rede?" She shouted again.

He appeared engrossed in the view and Casey but then looked up at the sound of his name; he stared at them for a few seconds as if deciding what to do then turned and took walked towards them.

"Is it okay if I call you Rede?"

"Yes Ma'am. It's my name."

"Come on Rede, we won't bite." Ryssa urged him, then grinning, added, "But I'm not sure about her." She nodded towards L'leth.

He stood in front of them, watching L'leth closely.

"I heard, ma'am," he said in all seriousness, "that some Twi'lek's file their teeth in preparation for battle."

L'leth glanced at Ryssa, before baring her teeth. "Look! No spikes. She was joking."

"Sorry ma'am."

Come! Sit here," Ryssa shuffled to one side and patted the space between her and L'leth, "And call me Ryssa. This is L'leth."

He eventually sat between them but left as much space apart from the women as he could.

L'leth held out the cookies,"Go on! They're good."

He took one.

"You can have more you know. There's always plenty. We're used to clones and your big appetites."

"Thank you. Ma–"

"L'leth."

"L'leth." He replied slowly before taking another bite. He looked at Ryssa's stomach.

She could see the curiosity in his eyes.

"Is there anything you want to know?"

"No ma'am."

"I don't mind. You can ask me anything."

He thought for a few seconds.

"You're pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Does it hurt, growing inside you?"

"It doesn't hurt. But it's starting to get uncomfortable."

"I've studied human biology. It takes nine months and the child still comes out tiny, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"And helpless?"

"Almost."

"I grew in twelve months, to adulthood."

Ryssa tried not to let the pity show in her face or voice.

"Yes. I heard. That's a lot to learn in twelve months. Even for a clone and I know you're clever; I married one."

"I know everything I need to know, how to fight, and I'm learning all the time from my squad mates."

"That's good. But there's other things in life besides fighting. Like being a father. Teacher. Doctor. Other occupations equally as important."

"It's all I know. It's what I was bred for. Just like the others."

"But you're clever enough to learn more. If you can learn how to fight in one year, look what more you could learn."

Ryssa felt L'leth nudge her and turned towards her just in time to see Jilka disappear back into the undergrowth.

"Just think about it." She added, trying to ignore the fact that Jilka had been watching them.

He was still looking at her stomach, she was used to that; people addressed her stomach, talking to her as an afterthought. She should be angry but couldn't bring herself to be. She was lucky to be here.

"Do you want to feel him?"

"You know it's a male?"

"Yes. If he's moving you can feel him. Although he may be asleep."

Rede frowned at that thought.

She reached out for his hand; he thought for a second then reached out and placed his in hers. She placed it on her left side; that was where he usually kicked. And on cue the baby kicked and moved. Rede quickly pulled his hand away.

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt."

He put his hand back and concentrated, blinking when he felt a kick.

"Getting acquainted with the ladies, lad?" Kal wandered up to them, as quiet as a Null.

Rede snatched his hand away.

L'leth's right Lek moved; there was something about the way Rede reacted to Kal that she couldn't quite put her finger on but it didn't seem right. Not normal.

"Just—"

"It's okay lad. If Ryssa says you can feel the baby kicking then that's fine. She gave her permission."

Ryssa felt another kick, a strong one; she grabbed Kal's hand instead, he looked surprised until she put it to the side of her stomach. A big grin filled his face, that had happened a lot more these last few days.

"That's a strong one." He managed to say before tears filled his eyes. He blinked them back. "Perhaps one day lad, you'll be a Father yourself, just like Darman."

Kal had seen him watching Darman and Kad closely since he came here. They were just getting to know each other properly, building a bond. It would take time.

He felt guilty over that.

"I thought—"

"You can be whatever you want to be lad. Just like Niner said. He explained, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"You didn't get a choice. Everyone deserves a choice, no matter where they came from. Now you take some time. Get your bearings. Hopefully you'll have a lot longer to make that decision soon."

He turned to Ryssa, "Take a walk with an old man?"

She looked at L'leth.

"I'll be fine." She pulled her crutches towards her.

Rede watched her, he had only just seen the crutches.

Kal held out his arm, Ryssa linked hers through his and they started walking around the lake.

"How's it going?"

"Pregnancy or autopsy?"

Kal smiled, he liked her forthrightness, always had but then he decided a while ago he would endeavour to like any of the partners his sons chose. He'd made a mistake with Etain and would never forgive himself for that.

"Both!"

"Feeling a lot better, no sickness and not too big yet. But he has sharp little legs and arms."

"Mij has done all the tests and there doesn't seem to be any residual ageing problems, and Kad is fine, meeting all his milestones."

"Etain accelerated her pregnancy." Observed Ryssa.

Kal kept quiet, he knew that had been a bone of contention between the two women.

They walked around and reached the memorial Kal had started for clones that had lost their lives in the War. It was gradually growing. She reached down and touched Tod's name and number. Then she saw a bright new one. This wasn't a clone name.

"I thought she belonged there. It was Palps' machinations with the Zillo beast that caused her death."

Ryssa blinked back the tears, "Den never talks about her."

"He still felt the loss. I know, I was with him. He's processed it in his own way."

"He still has his list." She stared at the memorial with her baby's name on it; she had not been able to choose the name, Kal and A'den had done that. She reached across and touched it.

Kal stared at her, "You know about that?"

"He let it slip once and I can't imagine he has put it away. I suspect he has added to it, such as Rampart."

"It's a Fett and Mandalorian trait— Revenge. Jango waited years to get his Revenge on the Jedi Order. Mij is still waiting for his, for his wife."

"Hmm."

"You don't want him to do anything."

"I don't want him to take the risk."

"All my boys are risk takers. The Kaminoans didn't engineer that out of them, perhaps even enhanced it."

"I suppose so."

They continued walking.

"The Autopsy?" He asked.

"I've done it. Just waiting for some DNA tests to come back but the body is Generation one or two, difficult to be certain. That's why I need the test results and then I can compare them to Qail's original analysis."

Plus another one she added in.

"Are you feeling okay with it?"

"No! Just shows what the Empire is capable of."

"I meant to do the Autopsy." Kal explained.

"Yes. It felt better being useful."

"It's not in your nature to be inactive, is it?"

"No. I found some physical additions."

"What do you mean? Prosthetics?"

"Sort of but they weren't needed, they were added. Enhanced what was already there. Modified. Mods is the slang for it."

"Shabuir'e!" He cursed, "Does it never end?"

"I don't think this will end until there are no clones left or—no Empire."

"I think you're right Ad'ika."

She would never say it out loud but she actually liked Kal calling her that, despite her age, despite some of his attitudes. She knew he wasn't perfect but he had been there for her. She could forgive him a lot.

"I'll do a full report but there is one thing I need to check. His brain. There's no chip."

"How?" This was getting beyond his understanding now.

"Why did he do what he did? Why was he working for the Empire? It may simply be a choice or there may have been other processes forcing him or removing his free will. Like the chips but a more advanced process."

"On Kamino, some clones were reconditioned."

"I know but not exactly what they did. Latterly they used a device and EmDee helped me to reconfigure it but…."

"I know. Your memory."

"I'm sorry. And this feels different."

"The reconditioning on Kamino left the clones a psychological mess afterwards, so you're saying this isn't the same?"

"No. It isn't. These clones are high functioning."

Kal sighed, " I'm not going to understand it even if you explain this new process, am I?"

"It's only a theory at the moment. I can explain better once I've finished studying the brain."

"We need your droid up and running don't we?"

"Yes. We've tried everything mechanical and computerised, there's only one other thing."

"What?" Kal couldn't think of anything else.

"The Force."

"I didn't think it worked that way."

"I'm not sure it does. We could ask Bardan but there was a woman with Altis who was able to communicate with ships and electronics, using the Force, I'm told."

"He never mentioned her."

"We all have secrets."

"We do." Kal was interested in that. The Force communicating with ships, to power them.

"I was thinking of Scout. Perhaps she could try."

"It's an idea." He patted her hand linked through his arm, "Now let's get back shall we. I'm ready for a hot, strong caf."

.

Ryssa stared at the droid; this little project had been invigorating for her. She had never felt so energised in this pregnancy until now. Jaing and A'den stood watching. She tried to remember exactly what she'd done when she first re-acquired Em-Dee, when he recognised her again, then realised she had done nothing, except be herself.

"Scout. Are you up for this?"

"I'm not that strong with the Force." The girl apologised beforehand.

"So you keep saying but you're a Jedi, so you've probably got more Force in your little finger than the whole of my body."

"We all have the Force. It's in every living being."

"Yes. But you can use it."

"I'm only here because Bardan is still busy with Arla."

"He said you would be better than he is for this. You had a different kind of Master and spent time with Master Yoda."

Ryssa was tugging at strings here.

"I lost two masters."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Although Ryssa felt that wasn't enough, "What about Kina Ha?"

She knew she had come with her.

"She was helping me."

"Can you please try then. This would help me—Us."

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"Can you sense if there is anything in him that is alive and just waiting? Even if it's a tiny spark of life."

She heard Jaing snort in derision behind her, "No offence Jaing." She said without turning. She imagined A'den smirking at that; she couldn't resist glancing back now. She was right.

"Those droids are resilient and despite being blasted, its memory core could still remain partially intact."

"It wasn't; we checked." declared Jaing.

"Now Scout is going to check." Ryssa replied, dismissing his argument.

He huffed in response but didn't move.

"Marcya Baey, my mother, was his Maker. He was my protector droid when I was small. He would hum a Mon Cal Opera, his favourite tune to help me sleep. I've found the recording or rather Kom'ika did. He's had numerous upgrades, five refits, one Republic overhaul and an Imperial factory reset and Rebrand but his initial programming had been completed by my mother. He retrieved it once. I think that's what you need to find if it's still there."

"I don't know—" Scout started.

"Master Altis thinks you can, I think you can." Ryssa held the young girl's hand, "Don't let anyone tell you you can't. Just try for me."

Scout nodded and reached out, putting her hand on the droid's head;it was humanoid shaped and sat in a chair as she worked on it. Her eyelids dropped closed and she put another hand on it. Her head moved in small tiny jerks and an occasional frowns crossed her face.

Ryssa sat and waited.

.

Scout sat with her hands wrapped around the mug of hot tea; she looked drained. She had been working on the droid for thirty minutes, or even longer.

"It's fascinating." She finally said.

"What is?"

"It felt like there was something in there— alive, just like—"

"Just like what?"

"A gentleman's personal gentlething, I met once."

"A what?"

"Never mind. It was during the war."

"Thank you for trying."

"I can try again later but it's draining."

"Yes please. Later if you can."

.

EmDee had been resting, reserving his energy. His internal workings had been severely tested and he had resorted to survival mode to wait for his maker but the Maker had not revealed herself. Something was not right.

Then his circuits had been tested, prodded and probed but it was not the Maker.

He retreated further, compressing his algorithms, his memory core.

He didn't know this organic, the way she knew how and where to look inside him but there were no tools. No sharp energy tools prodding and probing trying to get him to react like before. It was gentle. Soothing.

It was like another droid but it was not. It was organic.

You could not trust organics, except the Maker and the one he has to protect but they are both not here. His memory banks held the information of where they were, compressed into nano data.

The other organics had tried to erase the data about his Maker and the one he was made to protect.

His reason for being.

This organic didn't but left behind a part of herself, a trickle, that was working its way through him, trying to find the core of him.

Trying to get him to come out of hiding.

.

"Jilka?" Corr watched, as she walked back from through the undergrowth, "I wondered where you were. You've been gone for a while. I thought we were going for a walk after lunch."

"Sorry! Lost track of time." She hurried past him.

He turned and grabbed her by the arm, stopping her walking away from him.

"Is everything okay?"

"Perfect! I have to help Besany now."

"I'll come with you."

"If you want. Or you could spend more time with your brothers, who have just come back."

He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it and let her go; she had been acting strangely of late. Not that he knew much about long term relationships.

Rede watched the interaction from the bushes; seeing Corr sigh before he walked off in the opposite direction. He noted that everyone appeared to have their own little job; the Nulls, the Doctors and the two Jedi, an ex-Commander called Levet, who had taken to farming. He had seen a lot of Ex - Republic equipment here. Then there was the other homestead, where the Mandalorian woman called Rav Bralor lived with more clones, another squad.

He had an idea of how many people were living here and how many were fighters and who the non combatants were. He wasn't sure where Jilka stood in all this. He had seen her hiding and watching several people, including himself.

You always needed up to date Intel. That's what Darman and Niner had told him.

He had learned a lot from his squad about being a good soldier.

He was just gathering Intel.