Coco Town

Coruscant

New Order - day 100.

Hela stood in front of Dex's, unable to remember when she was last here, probably back in the war, with Mayday and Veetch. Despite being here, she was unsure if she should enter.

What she would find.

In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a Stormtrooper patrol, all in white; she turned to watch them. They glanced at her but didn't say anything; she saw the minute tilt of the head of the nearest one to her, it was the giveaway. They had probably noted who was where and when, tagging her to check later.

She was out of her District.

She shook her head, she had to try and get out of the spiralling paranoid thoughts she was having lately, actually most of the time, ever since The Chief disappeared from the Chancellor's, no Emperor's Office; she had been there as long as Hela could remember and she would not just leave, not without good reason.

Turning back to the diner, Hela looked it over; it was grimy, the soot from the fires after the night of the Purge were still ingrained in it. Looking through the windows, she saw it was also three quarters empty. That was unusual, it had rarely been empty before and even during the war, unless it was nearing closing time. This was midday; it should be overflowing.

Hela looked around; Zur was somewhere close by but she had asked him to stay out of sight, he had not always got on with the Basilisk and if he wore his uniform it may provoke Dex, despite his normal genial demeanour.

She pushed the door open and looked around for Wanda and Dex; Wanda didn't disappoint.

The serving droid rolled over to her, looking the same as she had before, "Hela! Good to see you. Its been a while. I'll get a table for you."

She sounded the same.

Most of the tables were already set up for the patrons and clean but Wanda cleaned one again and showed her to it.

"Caf or water and the usual?"

"Just a drink and it'd better be water. I have a performance tonight."

"Coruscant's Finest." Wanda joked.

"I hope not Wanda," Dex interrupted her, "get that bottled spring water from Naboo, the one that I've been saving."

"Okay boss."

Dex watched her go and then levered himself into the space opposite Hela, tucking his apron in front of him, "I've not seen you for a while." He said.

"I'm sorry. It's been difficult."

"Don't apologise. It has."

Hela looked at him again, it was the first time she had seen him look broken and he had a blaster strapped to his side; not something she had ever seen him have before, especially not in the diner.

"How have you been?" She finally asked, unsure if she truly wanted to hear the answer.

"You know me—a survivor." He replied, he had been around the galaxy and survived other wars. She remembered some of his stories. This looked as if it finally broke him.

"Have you seen your clone friend recently?"

"Not for a few months. I don't know where he is or if he's even alive."

They didn't mention Ben but he was standing between them just the same.

"Are you still close to the Chan—Emperor?"

"I've only seen him once since —everything changed."

Then the Chief disappeared, went AWOL. She wasn't sure if it was a choice she made or as Zur said she was made to disappear because she was now an inconvenience. He kept warning her.

"He must be busy."

"Very."

"Do you miss him? You appeared very close."

"Sort of."

"That's not—"

"I think I'm being followed everywhere I go." She suddenly stood up, knocking over the water, "Sorry. I shouldn't have come here."

One of his arms reached out, "Sit down." He picked up the bottle, "Wanda! Another one please."

She dropped back down.

"Who's following you?"

"We don't know exactly but Zur thinks it's the Empire."

"They follow everyone now. But you're safe here with me. You always have been."

"Ben—"

"I know."

The image of that Kaminoan saberdart popped into his head. It had started in his dreams just after the Purge, when the Emperor had announced the Jedi as traitors and now it was there when he was awake, in the quiet moments. It's durasteel embedding prongs. It's injector needle covered in dried blood. He could see it all in detail.

He hadn't known where it would lead, the information he gave to his old friend— the fall of the Republic, the light of the Jedi extinguished and a thousand years of peace gone because of that information.

How many more would die because of him and the information he gave. Part of him hoped Obi Wan had died on the front lines and not killed by his own men, those he fought with and admired, that would be too much to bear.

Dex remembered the boy he had met on Lenahra, the Jedi Padawan, who had lost his faith and didn't know which way to turn.

Dex had been there for him then and later when he brought the skinny young girl to see him. She sings, Obi Wan told him but for the first three visits she never spoke but they cooked together.

Then she told him she had cooked with her father when went to the lakes on Naboo.

"Dex! Dex!" Hela shook his arm. She had not seen him this distracted before and broken.

"I know." He repeated himself.

"I'm sorry." Hela said, again. "I have to go." She couldn't do this, not with him like this. "Look after yourself."

"Always do." He rumbled, hand dropping to his blaster, "You too."

Hela rushed out of the diner straight into a Stormtrooper. She bounced off the armour and blinked furiously, tears already there, ready to fall.

"You alright ma'am? Is there a problem with the Diner? We've had reports. I can close it down."

He was a clone, his voice so much like Mayday she wanted to embrace him.

"No! It's fine. I'm okay. You just scared me."

"We don't scare people ma'am. We're here to protect the Empire and you. Unless you're scared because you've broken the law."

His helmet tilted to look down at her. There were no markings on it; when once she would have been happy to see that armour, or one similar, now it struck fear into her. She saw passersby avoid eye contact with her, as they walked around her and the Stormtroopers before hurrying away.

"Can I see your chain code?" The phrase was a request but the tone was not.

Hela pulled out the card that held her chain code; all the Stormtroopers had machines to read it and that was new.

She waited patiently whilst her details displayed for him and he compared the image to her.

"Is there a problem here?" Zur's familiar voice asked. He was in his ISB uniform. The Stormtrooper came to attention sharpish.

"No sir. Just checking Chain codes."

"Ms Nim is with me."

"Yes sir." He saluted.

"You can go!"

"Yes sir!" the troopers walked away.

Hela wondered what they were saying to each other now, through their personal Coms.

.

Hela pulled out a bottle as soon as she reached the kitchen.

"That won't help."

"It may. A little."

He took the glass off her, and she let him, "No, it won't and you have a performance tonight."

"You're right."

"What happened?"

"It was all too much to deal with."

He grabbed her by the shoulders, "You survived Naboo and the camp and you can survive this Empire. I'll help you, we'll find a way out of this. We just have to be patient."

"It's difficult being patient when you're scared most of the time."

"So long as being scared doesn't make you do something stupid, it will keep you safe. Now go take a shower. Coco Town isn't what it used to be."

He waited until he heard the water running before opening his datapad and slicing into the ISB database, the parts he didn't have authorisation to access. He typed in a few key words but nothing came up again.

He tried a few different ones and a project caught his eye or rather the Doctor that was in charge of it.

Hemlock!

He thought he had been removed from the Republic payroll but here he was mentioned in some obscure reference to the Zillo beast. He thought that had all been done and dusted. Dead.

Another reference - Cortosis. He couldn't work out the connection yet.

He realised the water had stopped flowing. He covered his tracks and left the system.

"You don't have to stop doing that because I'm here." Hela said, towelling her hair dry.

"It's probably best if you don't see any of it."

"Or is it something you think I can't cope with seeing."

"I can't find any mention of the Chief; if she resigned or whatever she did."

"She wouldn't just leave."

"Perhaps she just couldn't stomach it anymore."

"Is that where you've got to?" Asked Hela, she had seen how he looked after he had been to ISB headquarters, especially the last few times; his eyes looked haunted and she knew he had seen a lot in his life before that.

"If we leave we have to plan it carefully."

Hela wasn't sure she was ready to give up on Mayday returning to her yet.

.

Barton IV

Imperial Depot

"Well! this is an exciting mission isn't it?" Complained Decs.

Splicer rolled his eyes, "Just check the long range scanner. I've got to upskill Jam on the Coms."

He side eyed his brother.

"There might be a meteor shower, if you're lucky." Splicer advised.

"Ooh! Meteor shower!" Decs rolled his eyes at the thought.

"You can always join Tank on his climb."

"Yeah, I'm not suicidal. That man's mad."

"Stir crazy! He likes to be out and about."

"Even if it's Kriffin' freezing out there."

"This is the warm season."

"Pah!" He snorted derisively, "Who says so?"

"The Intel. Look!" He handed Decs a datapad.

"Not sure what their definition of warm is." He grumbled, of all of them it was Decs who hated the cold the most. "Are you checking for coms from Imperial Centre?"

"Yes." Splicer replied, patiently.

"Anything for the Commander?" he asked hopefully.

"No!"

"That was quick. Are you sure?" Decs narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"I wouldn't tell you, if there was. You'd want to read it."

"No I wouldn't. It's private," Decs went quiet, "Do you think she's okay?"

"Yeah probably why?"

"Nothing. Just wondered, with this Empire, what it's like on Coruscant."

"It pays not to wonder too much."

"Hmm. You're right."

None of the old squad talked about General Skoll and Order 66; it didn't pay to dwell on it. What was done, was done. They couldn't change it and they had to live with it, each in their own way.

Splicer closed his eyes for a second and saw Baylan's face, concentrating as he batted away the blaster bolts they were firing at him. Splicer couldn't stop himself and the Boss — he wondered how he was coping with it.

The odds were against the Jedi but they hadn't found his ship or body.

Splicer hadn't slept well since that day.

He pulled himself back, he still had work to do but now for the Empire; what else could he do. He was a soldier.

He would still keep checking on those coms, for the Commander, and sending some updates to her com, just in case.

.

Mayday sat up straight in his bunk; the perimeter alarm was ringing. Tank was in charge of the watch, he'd deal with it. He lay back down but was awake now. He rose again, worried, he would go and check that everything was alright.

He pulled on his undersuit and some armour pieces to keep in the warmth and walked quickly towards the Ops Room.

"Sitrep!" He asked as soon as he entered expecting Tank to be there. He wasn't.

"Another sinkhole, sir." One of the shinies advised him, Jam, he thought his name was. He couldn't remember all their names; they all looked more alike than he and his brothers ever had when they were first deployed.

"Where's Tank?"

"Out there with Splicer and Decs," Jam pointed to the perimeter.

"Get him on the coms."

"Yes sir."

"Tank!"

"Yes Boss." He was breathing hard.

"What the fuck is going on out there?"

"Lost another squad."

"How?"

"One of the perimeter alarms stopped working. We need to get more requisitioned otherwise we'll all be dead. You need to see this boss." Tank transmitted his head cam feed directly to the screen in Ops.

"Kriff!" Jam exclaimed, pushing back in his chair, as the gigantic animal filled the screen, "What is that?"

"That's what's making the sinkholes." Splicer joined the conversation, "It's an Ice Wyrm."

"Something else they didn't tell us about." Muttered Mayday, "Everyone back inside the perimeter. We know what the sensors are for now. Ensure they are fully functional at all times. And no one goes outside the perimeter until we know exactly what we're dealing with. Is that the only one?"

They watched Tank's helmet cam, as he blasted the animal but to no effect. Decs blaster bolts also hit but nothing seemed to touch it.

"Get back inside the perimeter. Now! That's an order." Mayday shouted down the coms.

"We can't, there are still brothers down there."

Mayday looked at Jam.

He checked the readouts and shook his head, "No life signs sir."

"Tank! Decs! They're gone! Get back now before—" he watched in horror as Tank's feed went black.

"Veetch, Hexx. Get them back now!"

Mayday rushed out of the door grabbing a pack of Thermal detonators on the way out.

The ice vultures were circling or that's what Splicer called them.

They weren't that far from the perimeter and he sprinted as fast as he could, to catch up with Veetch and Hexx.

When he reached their coordinates there was nothing, except Tank's helmet and a large splatter of blood on the brilliant white ice.

"Fuck!" Mayday cursed.

He scanned around him, as did Veetch and Hexx.

"Over there!" He pointed, towards the perimeter alarm; there were tracks where it looked as if someone had been dragged.

They jogged over, the cold getting to them now but in the distance were two figures hunched together.

"Splicer took a hit sir. Tank ordered me to get him away. The rest are gone." He looked around.

"Tank?"

Mayday shook his head.

.

Mayday carefully carried Tank's helmet back; he wanted to put it somewhere safe.

He cleared the crates in the corner. They had to guard these items; it would be safe with them.

He touched his forehead to the top of the helmet one more time and put it in its place.

.

The Emperor's Inner Chamber

Imperial Centre

Mas Amedda, Vice Chair of the Senate, waited for the Emperor; he was having one of his meetings with Lord Vader. He did not like being around when they were both together.

The doors opened and the large black armoured and helmeted figure swept through the office; Amedda avoided him, even averting his eyes to avoid eye contact, if you could call the red globes sitting in the black helmet eyes.

The Emperor stood watching them, a tiny smile appearing as he felt the fear emanate from the Chagrian, when his Apprentice walked past him, barely acknowledging him, for the moment but that could change in a nanosecond. The Emperor knew how temperamental Lord Vader's temper was, it made him strong and dangerous.

"And how is the Senate today?"

"Talking in circles as usual."

"Good. Then they are occupied."

"Is there anything I should know about?"

"There is nothing in their radar at the moment. They are protecting themselves, as usual."

"Organa?"

"Keeping his head down. Very quiet. Spending more time at home recently with their daughter."

"Ah yes. The family man." The Emperor spoke the phrase with disdain. He had personally removed his own family years ago, and he would admit, it gave him great pleasure both at the time and the memory.

"Mothma."

"Again, very quiet. The two meet occasionally but always in the open, always discussing items that are ready to come to the Senate in the near future. She concentrates on relief efforts."

"Anyone in the periphery?"

"Chuchi. It looks as if she's being drawn into their circle from the way she's voting. But there's nothing concrete."

"Sir!" A voice interrupted them. His new office chief; he still had people looking for The Chief as she had been affectionately known, by all who worked with her. Apart from him. He had been careful but she was intelligent and resourceful, a dangerous combination for him, if they were against him.

"Yes." His voice gave no indication of the irritation he felt, it served no purpose. Everything he did had a purpose.

"Ms Nim has put in a further request to see you."

He paused before replying, weighing up the eddies in the Force, he could sense nothing, which was odd where she was concerned but she would not be here much longer Hemlock was due to give him an update. It was easier to keep her near him in the Galactic Centre.

"Schedule her in for next week."

"Yes sir." She turned and strode away.

Efficient, unquestioning. The new Chief was what he needed to succeed.

"So the Senate is behaving?" He turned back to Amedda.

"Yes, my Lord."

The Emperor sat down and steepled his fingers just as he did before the Jedi disfigured him. Amedda wasn't exactly sure how that had occurred but it was something to do with the Force and he didn't entirely understand it but now he knew that the Emperor was more powerful than before and any Jedi.

"Now leave me!"

Amedda backed out of the room.

The Emperor activated the locks in his door and the Holoemitter built into his desk. Dr Hemlock appeared immediately, arms held in front of him, cradling his cybernetic hand.

As much as he would deny it, it was a weakness, how it bothered him.

The Emperor stared at it before he looked at Hemlock's face

"How is the project progressing?"

"We are proceeding as planned. Initial experiments are yielding the expected results but with a seventy five percent failure rate with the clones we have acquired, so far, despite the best treatment on their injuries. But the Kaminoans are not being helpful. I need access to their database for the next phase."

"Continue with the clones. There are plenty available and do not worry about the Kaminoans."

"Yes my Lord."

Hemlock disappeared from view.

He pressed a few more keys, "Governor Tarkin how is Project Stardust progressing."

"As planned and on target my Lord. Krennic is—most efficient."

As well as ambitious. Thought Tarkin but he was under control at the moment.

"And Project Warmantle?"

"Under control, my Lord."

"At last, everything is falling into place just as I planned."

.

New Order - day 105

Hela walked through to the Emperor's Inner Chamber; she had expected her request to be refused as before but here she was. She noticed the changes that had occurred - the change in uniform. Everyone had code cylinders just like Zur; there were many more Red Guards lining every corridor.

The whole atmosphere was different but she couldn't say how.

"My dear. Come through!"

The Emperor stood at the door to his office, in his now normal attire of all encompassing black cloak. She could barely see his face under the hood.

He held out a hand.

She stared at the bony disfigured appendage before grasping it.

She nearly reeled back with shock at how icy cold it felt.

"My dear, its so good to see you healthy."

His voice had changed, from silky benevolence to raspy with a hint of menace.

"It's good to see you alive, sir." she was unsure how to address him.

"It was a painful time, both physically and emotionally. Being attacked by the Jedi in my own office, by beings sworn to keep the peace. The betrayal cut deep."

Hela felt herself staring at him, still wanting to believe him.

"Forgive me, how I look. The Doctors were able to save me but unable to stop the scarring from the Force Powers the Jedi used agains me."

"You're alive. That's what matters."

"Sit my dear." he offered her a chair, "If it wasn't for Lord Vader and the clones. I would not be here now."

She sat.

"We must now consolidate and with the help of the Stormtroopers, ensure we have Order in the galaxy."

"The Jedi?" she asked.

"They fooled us all." His voice changed, she felt it resonate through her, almost vibrating, "Eliminating them all, is the only way."

She shivered, as he finished.

"Are you cold my dear?"

"A little." she answered truthfully, she had not been warm since she entered the room.

"I think you must be falling ill. A simple virus perhaps but it is best you leave and rest"

"Yes." She agreed, "It was so good to finally see you."

"Yes my dear."

He watched as she left and he contacted Hemlock again.

He had not realised she was such a good actress.